Photo: Supplied by the Wellington Astronomical Society
Stargazers can now head to a new observatory in Wairarapa and take photos of far away galaxies and stars.
Featuring a new state-of-the-art telescope, the Cretney Observatory officially opened on Saturday, after five years of development.
It was set up thanks to a bequest from the late Syd Cretney, a founding member of the Wellington Astronomical Society.
At the heart of the observatory - set in a field in the middle of the Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve in Ruakōkoputuna - is a state-of-the-art 400mm Testar Officina Stellare RiFAST telescope.
It can take photos of stuff far outside of the Milky Way, such as exploding stars. Matt Balkham led the project setting up the Cretney Observatory. Photos taken from the telescope are available to see here.
Photo: Supplied by the Wellington Astronomical Society
