30th of June: Observing Asteroid Day!
30th of June was chosen to mark the anniversary of the 1908 Siberian Tunguska event. On June 30, 1908, an explosion over Siberia flattened trees and made a loud noise. But no crater was ever found. Scientists now believe it was a small comet or asteroid. Many events like these happened in the past. Closer to our […]
Eric Becklin tells about SOFIA
In 2013, I had the great opportunity to interview the Chief Science Advisor of SOFIA, Erick Becklin whilst the flying telescope was here in New Zealand for its first southern deployment.
We hold the dream that SOFIA will one day be accessible to school teachers from New Zealand, who could become ambassadors of SOFIA. In fact, the reason for this interview was to bring SOFIA to the classrooms and to a wider audience from around New Zealand.
Now SOFIA is back in New Zealand and very soon there will be more stories about this wonderful flying telescope. Watch this space and until then, learn about SOFIA and its discoveries from this interview.
2 NZAI posters at AbSciCon 2015, and how to watch the conference live!
Two of two submitted posters for AbSciCon 2015 are at the conference! These are the SBNZ 2015 poster and SBNZ 2015 Education Poster. You can watch the conference streaming live here!
Olga Prieto Ballesteros
“I have chosen New Zealand’s gas hydrate deposits for two important reasons: one is that here we can study different types of gas hydrates relevant in other planets of the Solar System, formed in different extreme environments, whose dissociation sometimes produces highly intriguing features and in some cases are associated to unpredictable exuberant habitats ; the other is that researchers from NZ are leading experts in their fields, so we expect a fruitful multidisciplinary collaboration.”
Final report released: Spaceward Bound New Zealand 2015
In January 2015, the New Zealand Astrobiology Initiative (NZAI) organised an engaging, 6-day expedition for Kiwi educators and researchers, introducing them to the wonders of the Taupo Volcanic Zone in the central North Island. Partnering with NASA and incorporating speakers from all around the globe, Spaceward Bound New Zealand 2015 exposed its 50 participants to […]
Thank you SBNZ 2015 sponsors and supporters
New Zealand Astrobiology Initiative would like to thank the following organisations for their generous support, without which this project would not have been possible: Platinum Sponsor University of Auckland Gold Sponsor Institute for Applied Ecology, NZ, AUT Silver sponsors Blue Marble Space Institute of Science Eagle Technology Group GNS Maori Tourism Mars Society New Zealand Partners […]
NASA planetary scientists come to New Zealand to engage with teachers and students in our own backyard
New Zealand teachers will join a NASA Astrobiologists and New Zealand scientists in the North Island this January, 2015, to explore extreme environments and conduct scientific experiments that might one day provide insight for the search of life on other planets. The expedition is part of NASA’s Spaceward Bound programme, uniting teachers and research scientists in field activities and, ultimately, bringing the excitement of space exploration to New Zealand students.
We live in the future
It is for the first time in our history when we, humankind, can effectively act to ensure our survival as species and protect our planet. In the same time, the advent of technology and, in recent times, accessibility to information, increased the speed at which changes occur in our society and environment. Global emerging risks shape now the face of Earth in unprecedented ways. The situational awareness we aspire to in such case can only be achieved through scientific education, essential to understand the key questions: ‘What is life?’, but most importantly ‘What is life worth to us?’
Astrobiology, is the study of life’s potential in the Universe. It also studies the origin, evolution and history of life on Earth. Astrobiology is a topical subject, innovative and interdisciplinary.
New astrobiology group formed
A new group of the Royal Astronomical Society (RASNZ) has been established to foster the local astrobiology community.
The Astrobiology Group aims to inspire interest in the field through newsletters, educational programmes and outreach events. Its formation was approved by RASNZ at their 91st annual conference, held in June, 2014.