Story: Night sky

The Pleiades

The Pleiades

The Pleiades is a cluster of young stars. Six or seven stars are visible to the naked eye, although binoculars reveal that there are dozens. The Pleiades is known to Māori as Matariki. For Māori and other Pacific peoples, the arrival of Matariki in the morning sky in mid-winter marks a new year.

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Photograph by Mark Cannell

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How to cite this page:

John Field and Maggy Wassilieff, 'Night sky - Seasonal stars', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/7921/the-pleiades (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by John Field and Maggy Wassilieff, published 12 Jun 2006