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Rail Trail Nightlife

Why Stargazing in Naseby is a Rail Trail Must Do.

A Nebula as seen with Naseby Night Sky Tours
Paul Bishop

Inspiration Rail Trail Nightlife

Naseby local Paul Bishop has a background in astrophysics. He graduated a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away with honours from Queen Mary College, London University.  The evolution of the stars is his passion and the main reason why he now lives in the small town of Naseby in Central Otago.

“Naseby is one of the best places in New Zealand to view a dark night sky since we have no light pollution”, explains Paul.

“Naseby has internationally approved dark sky street lighting providing an exceptional opportunity for stargazing. What’s more, the town is very close to achieving internationally recognised dark sky community status, something which I am really excited about”.

The Milky Way seen from Naseby, Central Otago

The "Blood Moon" - a full lunar eclipse in 2022.

Paul operates Naseby Night Sky Tours which provides visitors with a unique opportunity to navigate their way around the southern skies and identify some of its key constellations and features. Paul’s carefully selected observation site is just a 3-minute drive away, above the township, and is a hugely popular evening attraction for visitors riding the Otago Central Rail Trail. 

Whilst stargazing is available year-round, Paul believes that the best time of year is generally the winter, due to crisper skies and the earlier starts. 

“Of course, the constellations are seasonal, with the winter constellations being a bit more interesting than the summer ones - in my opinion - and the Milky Way is more dramatic around the early evening tour times in the winter”.

The phases of the moon determine how visible the stars of the night sky will be.

A remarkable view of the Milky Way on a moonless Naseby night. Can you see the shape of a kiwi above the trees?

Paul explains that the planets vary from year to year in terms of best viewing months, but that the moon is the biggest influencing factor. “There is good stargazing up to around first quarter (half full), but the moon can seriously hamper naked eye viewing once past first quarter.  Of course, viewing is best around a new moon”, says Paul.

Naseby Night Sky Tours generally last one hour, “but I do tend to over-run”, laughs Paul as he recalls one tour that lasted over 5 hours … “but that was a special for friends of a friend who were visiting from Europe”, he says.

“My primary focus is education and outreach programmes, and I’ve run tours for several school groups and I’m even the annual fieldtrip for Otago Boys High School year 13 students studying Earth and Space Science”.

Paul is a hugely talented astrophotographer and his work can be seen adorning the walls of the Black Forest Café in Naseby. His top tip for people starting out in astrophotography?

“Focus!  It sounds obvious, but is critical, and focusing in the dark takes practice. Also, unless you want long star trails, aim for no star trails at all – very short trails make the image look blurred even if focus is perfect”.

But if you want more tips and tricks, you might just have to sign up for a tour…

FIND OUT MORE

DID YOU KNOW?...

The clear skies and geographical isolation of Central Otago makes it perfect for observing atmospheric chemistry and radiation as well as the stars. This is why NIWA (the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research), has located its Atmospheric Research Station in Lauder, also on the Rail Trail. The station specialises in measuring CFCs, Ozone, UV light levels and greenhouse gases and has a wide range of world class instruments.

And the celestial connections along the Rail Trail don’t end there. Spanning a vast length of the ride, the Interplanetary Cycle Trail is a virtual journey through time and space!

The solar system has been mapped out onto the Otago Central Rail Trail and shrunk by a factor of one hundred million to one. The model is represented by beautiful sculptures of the planets along the trail and accurately reflects the size of the sun, planets and the moon, and the distances between them.

The "Horse Head" Nebula

Eta Carinae - a binary star system located approximately 7,500 light-years away.

Central Otago's clear skies make it a great place to see the Southern Lights | Aurora Australis [photo: Geoff Marks].

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