What do the matariki stars mean

Matariki — the mother of the eight whetu in the constellation. Matariki is connected to wellbeing, and at times Matariki was viewed as an omen of good fortune and health. If the cluster, and especially the individual Matariki whetu was seen high and bright in the night sky, it denoted good luck, peace and wellbeing for those who observed it. If it was seen in the sky when a patient was suffering from an illness it was taken as a sign they would soon recover.

It is important to note that Rehua is also connected to wellbeing and medicine and those suffering from ailments would trust in Rehua for the power to heal. It is within both Rehua and Matariki that knowledge of wellbeing and medicine exists, and both have the power to heal.

Together Rehua and Matariki produced the other whetu in the cluster, each with its own unique purpose and meaning. This journey ends at the northernmost point of the North Island at a place called Te Rerenga Wairua the departing place of the spirits. They then descend the aka root of this tree and disappear into the underworld.

When Matariki sets in the western sky at dusk during the month of May, the harvesting of the gardens has been completed and winter is near. Some may begin festivities on the first full moon after the star cluster rises, or on the next new moon.

A cluster is a group of stars that are near each other in space. When seen from Earth, the stars in a constellation appear to be close together in a pattern, but they might actually be far from each other. There are about stars in the Matariki cluster, but only six or seven are visible without a telescope. The Matariki star cluster — are there seven or nine stars? The location of Puanga and Matariki in the mid-winter sky.

From Work of the Gods by Richard Hall. From early June, before sunrise, look to the north-east horizon. In watching the preparations for their growth and harvest, she has come to understand the importance of healthy soil. He encourages us to get to know this family well, embrace its strength and prepare for any challenges it creates.

She encourages us to take time to remember them, and to acknowledge their impact on our lives. Her huge, lifelong passion for conservation along with that of her husband Arn is truly inspirational. Hiwai-i-te-rangi is a wishing star, who helps us to recognise our hopes, dreams and aspirations for the coming year.

She encourages us to hold firm to our goals, and seek out opportunities to see them realised. Matariki loves to gather the people together, and to connect them with our environment.

The distance to Matariki is used by astronomers as a marker to help calculate distances to other stars. However, measuring the distance has not been without controversy with two different mechanisms measuring two different measurements. Read more in this article: Resolving the Pleiades distance problem. Although there are about a thousand stars in Matariki, nine stars are visible to the unaided eye.

Matariki is visible almost all year except for right before the Matariki celebration starts in June or July. We observe the rising of Matariki in the phase of the Moon called Tangaroa — the moon of plenty. The Moon is a crescent shape, just a few days away from the new moon phase. The cycle of the Moon around Earth is different to the cycle of Earth around the Sun. The Moon cycle is around 11 days shorter than the solar cycle, meaning that, after 12 months, there are still about 11 days until Earth returns to the same position in its orbit.

They also use the maramataka with each phase of the Moon indicating the favourable times for planting, fishing or eeling.