Seasons are opposite south of the equator, and just as our days will shorten after this month’s solstice, winter’s dark days “down under” will soon lengthen. New Zealand is surrounded by ocean, and thus the climate is quite temperate. Traditionally, Matariki's rising and the Maori new year mark the planting of the kumara, a Polynesian sweet potato, a dietary staple even today readily available in supermarkets. More precisely, Matariki festivals are held on the first New Moon following the morning reappearance, while some iwi (or tribes) celebrate on the first following Full Moon.

A heliacal rising, such as that of Matariki / Pleiades in late May or early June, occurs when stars (or planets or the Moon) first become visible in the twilight of dawn. Until then, its stars are too close to the Sun and drowned in twilight. Each day, the Sun moves a degree east, and stars rise 4 minutes earlier. Thus the reappearance of stars is notable, annual and predictable, ideal for marking time. Ancient Egyptians used such risings as a clock, and many ancient civilizations timed agricultural activities with these heliacal risings. Even today, a common “explanation” for the “dog days” of summer is the August heliacal rising of the Dog Star, Sirius.

In the Maori language, there are two meanings: Mata Riki or “tiny eyes,” and Mata Ariki, “eyes of god.” In some stories Matariki refers to a single star, which represents either a mother or father, surrounded by daughters named Tupu-a-Nuku, Tupu-a-Rangi, Waitī, Waitā,  Waipunarangi and Ururangi. Matariki portends the weather and harvest: if clear and bright, the year will be warm and food plentiful. If hazy and shimmering, the chill of winter persists and will necessarily delay planting.

Remarkably, many cultures associate Matariki / Pleiades with a family of sisters, usually six or seven. In Greek mythology, the Seven Sisters are the daughters of Atlas and the sea nymph Pleione. They were involved in legends of much drama, including mass suicide, and all but one bore children by their affairs with gods. Merope shines less brightly in shame brought on by her affair with a mortal.

Here on Delmarva, we are roughly the same distance north of the equator as Auckland is south. Will the Pleiades' heliacal rising occur earlier or later here than in New Zealand?*  Look for it next time you rise well before the Sun. On the other hand, I catch the Pleiades on the way to work each morning, cloudy or clear, on my car’s steering wheel. Subaru means Pleiades in Japanese and the company logo is a stylized representation of the cluster. The Pleiades' striking appearance guaranteed notice by star gazers throughout history, and the mythology and legends of each culture are certainly just as relevant today. 

This year, Matariki, the Maori New Year will be marked on the first weekend of this June, with the first new Moon on the 8th. Proverbs at right are taken from the Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori - Māori  Language Commission web site and 2001 pdf booklet. *The date of heliacal rising is a complex function determined by right ascension, declination (and ecliptic latitude and longitude) and observability parameters such as angular elevation above and the solar depression below the horizon; see J. Meeus’s Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, Chapter 46. Or use any planetarium program, and set you location to Auckland at 37° South, 175° East. Better yet, stay  awake till dawn at your favorite observing site! The Hyades (and Aldebaran, top right) and Pleiades (left, below center) appear upside down. Heading northward, Comet Machholz is visible in bottom left corner.  Moondark is written by Doug Miller, published online, and printed in the Delmarva Star Gazers' Star Gazer News. Last revised on 29 May 2005. Text and images are copyright © 2005 by Douglas C. Miller, All Rights Reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without prior permission.