Stargazing and Light Pollution with Dark Sky Waiheke

For this session, we were joined by passionate stargazer Kim Wesney from Dark Sky Waiheke.

Kim gave us an introduction and background to Dark Sky Waiheke Island, and their role in championing dark skies, through advocacy and education. During this session, Kim also covered:

• What is Light Pollution and why should we care about it?

• Wildlife and ecosystems

• Nightsky Heritage and Culture

• Wastes energy (and money)

• Lighting, crime and safety: myths vs smart lighting

• What you can do to make a difference, with 5 simple steps to reduce light pollution

• Aims for Waiheke Eastern end to be accredited as a Dark Sky Park

We closed by going outside for a Stargazing Session - using Kim's telescope we looked up, connected, and shared our beautiful night sky, where she showed us objects visible every night, the local celestial neighbourhood overhead and more.