Stargazers line up to join new group

MARK LAWSON/Timaru Herald

HEAVENS ABOVE: Casey Weatherall, of Timaru, was one of about 300 people to look at the Moon and Jupiter from the Piazza on Saturday night.

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Interest in astronomy is taking off in South Canterbury.

After a second successful stargazing party in Timaru, a newly formed astronomers' group has attracted interest from about 100 people.

The South Canterbury Astronomers Group formed after 100 hours of Astronomy, a stargazing party in April which attracted more than 300 people to the Piazza to look at the night skies.

Buoyed by that event, about 20 keen amateur astronomers began the steps of creating a club, and formed a steering committee.

After a free public star party on Saturday, a further 70 to 80 people have expressed an interest in the group, and a website, www.scastro.co.cc, is recording between 50 and 100 hits a day, group secretary Robert McTague said.

While a stargazing event in Geraldine on Friday night had to be cancelled because of cloud cover, conditions in Timaru on Saturday night were ideal for stargazing, and about 300 people turned up on the Piazza to look at sky through a variety of telescopes.

"The conditions were very, very good. Jupiter's four moons were on show, the moon was very clear," Mr McTague said.

A highlight for many was watching the international space station go overhead, he said.

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