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122-520: In Māori culture , Matariki is the Pleiades star cluster and a celebration of its first rising in late June or early July. The rising marks the beginning of the new year in the Māori lunar calendar . Historically, Matariki was usually celebrated for a period of days during the last quarter of the moon of the lunar month Pipiri (around June). The ceremony involved viewing the individual stars for forecasts of

244-411: A Hertzsprung–Russell diagram for the cluster, which, when compared with those plotted for clusters whose distance is not known, allows their distances to be estimated. Other methods may then extend the distance scale from open clusters to galaxies and clusters of galaxies, and a cosmic distance ladder may be constructed. Ultimately astronomers' understanding of the age and future evolution of the universe

366-406: A semi-major axis of about 2.9 ″ . Other recent estimates of the period have ranged from 880 years for a calculated orbit, to 2,562 years for a simple Kepler's Law estimate. Early measurements of the pair found them to be about 3.5″ apart in 1847–49, or 2.5″ apart in 1848. More modern observations consistently give separations around 2.6″  – 2.8″ . The variations in

488-401: A bow and a quiver. As noted by scholar Stith Thompson , the constellation was "nearly always imagined" as a group of seven sisters, and their myths explain why there are only six. Some scientists suggest that these may come from observations back when Pleione was farther from Atlas and more visible as a separate star as far back as 100,000 BC. In Japan , the cluster is mentioned under

610-753: A compact configuration that once resembled the Orion Nebula . Astronomers estimate that the cluster will survive for approximately another 250 million years, after which the clustering will be lost due to gravitational interactions with the galactic neighborhood. Together with the open star cluster of the Hyades , the Pleiades form the Golden Gate of the Ecliptic . The name, Pleiades, comes from Ancient Greek : Πλειάδες . It probably derives from plein ("to sail") because of

732-561: A diameter of 400 to 430 million mi (640 to 690 million km), equal to approximately 463-497  R ☉ , making it the then largest star known . Antares is now known to be somewhat larger; for instance, the Hipparcos satellite's trigonometric parallax of 5.89 ± 1.00 mas with modern angular diameter estimates lead to a radius of about 680  R ☉ . Older radii estimates exceeding 850  R ☉ were derived from older measurements of

854-556: A direct, ancient historical reference to Māori use of star navigation, for long sea voyaging. Because of these associations with peace and calm, the second Māori king, Matutaera Tāwhiao , chose Matariki as an emblem, and the Kīngitanga newspaper was named Te Paki o Matariki . Most celebration of Matariki begins in the last quarter phase of the moon after the constellation's first appearance, during 3–4 nights known as "the nights of Tangaroa " ( ngā po o Tangaroa ), and finishes on

976-553: A distinct constellation , and they are mentioned by Hesiod 's Works and Days , Homer 's Iliad and Odyssey , and the Geoponica . The Pleiades was the most well-known "star" among pre-Islamic Arabs and so often referred to simply as "the Star" ( an-Najm ; النجم ). Some scholars of Islam suggested that the Pleiades are the "star" mentioned in Surah An-Najm ("The Star") in

1098-450: A map of 64 stars of the Pleiades from his observations in 1779, which he published in 1786. The distance to the Pleiades can be used as a key first step to calibrate the cosmic distance ladder . As the cluster is relatively close to the Earth, the distance should be relatively easy to measure and has been estimated by many methods. Accurate knowledge of the distance allows astronomers to plot

1220-598: A new Māori public holiday in the calendar and raise awareness of Māori indigenous knowledge. The bill passed its third reading on 7 April. During the final debate, National MP Paul Goldsmith argued that Matariki should replace a previous public holiday while ACT's Small Business spokesperson Chris Baillie claimed that having a new public holiday would cost businesses NZ$ 453 million. The Bill's sponsor Kiritapu Allan defended Matariki, arguing that public holidays reduced employee burnout and stress while boosting hospitality and tourism. National MP Simon O'Connor suggested naming

1342-469: A new holiday, to lessen the impact on businesses which is estimated to be NZ$ 448 million annually. The bill passed its second reading on 29 March 2022. During the debate, the National and ACT parties expressed concerns about creating a 12th public holiday; claiming that it would cost NZ$ 450 million and have a negative impact on businesses. The Labour, Green and Māori parties argued that the bill would establish

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1464-474: A pit on which was placed food, a layer of leaves, and earth. The uncovering of the cooked food released steam which rose into the sky and fed the stars, the steam being the hautapu or sacred offering. The food was chosen to correspond with the domains of the stars in Matariki: these might include kūmara for Tupuānuku, a bird for Tupuārangi, freshwater fish for Waitī, and shellfish for Waitā. The offering of food

1586-513: A possible mass estimate). These correspond to ages from 11.8 to 17.3 MYr. These initial mass estimates mean that Antares may have once resembled massive blue stars like the members of the Acrux system, which have similar initial masses (both Antares and Acrux are members of the wider Scorpius–Centaurus association ). Massive stars like Antares are expected to explode as supernovae . Like most cool supergiants, Antares's size has much uncertainty due to

1708-448: A progenitor mass of 17  M ☉ and an age of 12 million years (MYr), or an initial mass of 15  M ☉ and an age of 11 to 15 MYr. Comparison of observations from antiquity to theoretical evolutionary tracks suggests an initial mass of 15 to 16  M ☉ , or the possibility that Antares is on a blue loop with an initial mass of 13  M ☉ (while excluding 14  M ☉ as

1830-588: A public holiday that were signed by 30,000 people. On 7 September 2020, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern pledged to make Matariki a public holiday if the Labour Party were re-elected in the 2020 general election . The proposed public holiday would not be implemented until 2022, during which businesses could recover from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand . On 4 February 2021, Ardern announced

1952-513: A range of ways. These have included concerts, festivals of lights, the illumination of Auckland's Sky Tower , and tree planting. In 2017 Wellington City Council announced they would cancel the Sky Show fireworks held on Guy Fawkes Night for 22 years, and move them to a Matariki cultural festival from July 2018. The celebrations have taken place over the period of a week or month, anywhere from early June to late August, but increasingly coincide with

2074-401: A star", and if it appeared to shine bright and clear on the first viewing of Matariki those individual and collective wishes were likely to be answered. Traditional Māori culture was interwoven with astronomical knowledge, with constellations and the lunar cycle used for navigation, planting and harvesting, delineating the seasons, and marking the spawning and migration of fish. This knowledge

2196-472: A thousand days are analogous to long secondary periods. Research published in 2018 demonstrated that Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal people from South Australia observed the variability of Antares and incorporated it into their oral traditions as Waiyungari (meaning 'red man'). Antares is 4.57 degrees south of the ecliptic , one of four first magnitude stars within 6° of the ecliptic (the others are Spica , Regulus and Aldebaran ), so it can be occulted by

2318-412: A total of eight children, five of which were female and three male. The father of Matariki's children was Rehua, paramount chief of the heavens, identified by Māori as the star Antares . The stars of Matariki and their genders as recorded by Te Kōkau are identified with particular traits and areas of influence, also reflected in their positions in the star cluster: The star Pōhutukawa's association with

2440-573: Is a red supergiant , a large evolved massive star and one of the largest stars visible to the naked eye. If placed at the center of the Solar System , it would extend out to somewhere in the asteroid belt . Its mass is calculated to be around 13 or 15 to 16 times that of the Sun . Antares appears as a single star when viewed with the naked eye, but it is actually a binary star system, with its two components called α Scorpii A and α Scorpii B. The brighter of

2562-536: Is a result of uncertainties in stellar evolution models, which include factors such as convective overshoot , in which a convective zone within a star penetrates an otherwise non-convective zone, resulting in higher apparent ages. Another way of estimating the age of the cluster is by looking at the lowest-mass objects. In normal main-sequence stars, lithium is rapidly destroyed in nuclear fusion reactions. Brown dwarfs can retain their lithium, however. Due to lithium's very low ignition temperature of 2.5 × 10 K,

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2684-519: Is also catalogued as a double star WDS J16294-2626 and CCDM J16294-2626. Antares is a variable star and is listed in the General Catalogue of Variable Stars , but as a Bayer-designated star it does not have a separate variable star designation . Its traditional name Antares derives from the Ancient Greek Ἀντάρης , meaning "rival to Ares ", due to the similarity of its reddish hue to

2806-434: Is also considerable variation between values published by different authors, for example 75,900  L ☉ and 97,700  L ☉ published in 2012 and 2013. The mass of the star has been calculated to be about 12  M ☉ , or 11 to 14.3  M ☉ . Comparison of the effective temperature and luminosity of Antares to theoretical evolutionary tracks for massive stars suggest

2928-681: Is also enhanced by being exclusive to New Zealand culture. 43% of New Zealanders regard Matariki as an important holiday. For businesses, Matariki is treated identically to most other public holidays; employees working on Matariki are required to be paid time-and-a-half and there are no restrictions on shops opening or alcohol sales. However, due to the unique cultural significance of the holiday, Māori cultural advisers and academics have warned companies against commercialising Matariki, citing cultural disrespect. Due to its proximity between King's Birthday and Labour Day , concerns were made regarding overcommercialisation of Matariki in terms of appropriating

3050-592: Is also evident in northern Europe. The Pleiades cluster is displayed on the Nebra sky disc that was found in Germany and is dated to around 1600 BC. On the disk the cluster is represented in a high position between the Sun and the Moon. This asterism also marks the beginning of several ancient calendars: Although M45 is no longer at the vernal point, the asterism still remains important, both functionally and symbolically. In addition to

3172-495: Is approximately 550 light-years (170 parsecs ) from the Sun. The brightness of Antares at visual wavelengths is about 10,000 times that of the Sun , but because the star radiates a considerable part of its energy in the infrared part of the spectrum , the true bolometric luminosity is around 100,000 times that of the Sun. There is a large margin of error assigned to values for the bolometric luminosity, typically 30% or more. There

3294-552: Is assumed to be a relatively normal early-B main sequence star with a mass around 7  M ☉ , a temperature around 18,500  K , and a radius of about 5  R ☉ . As it falls short of the mass limit required for stars to undergo a supernova , it will likely expand into a red giant before dying as a massive white dwarf similar to Sirius B . Antares B is normally difficult to see in small telescopes due to glare from Antares, but can sometimes be seen in apertures over 150 millimetres (5.9 inches). It

3416-413: Is dominated by fainter and redder stars . An estimate of the frequency of binary stars in the Pleiades is approximately 57%. The cluster contains many brown dwarfs , such as Teide 1 . These are objects with less than approximately 8% of the Sun 's mass, insufficient for nuclear fusion reactions to start in their cores and become proper stars. They may constitute up to 25% of the total population of

3538-535: Is illuminating the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex in its foreground. The illuminated cloud is sometimes referred to as the Antares Nebula or is otherwise identified as VdB 107. α Scorpii is a double star that is thought to form a binary system . The best calculated orbit for the stars is still considered to be unreliable. It describes an almost circular orbit seen nearly edge-on, with a period of 1,218 years and

3660-455: Is influenced by their knowledge of the distance to the Pleiades. Yet some authors argue that the controversy over the distance to the Pleiades discussed below is a red herring , since the cosmic distance ladder can (presently) rely on a suite of other nearby clusters where consensus exists regarding the distances as established by the Hipparcos satellite and independent means (e.g., the Hyades ,

3782-406: Is its unique and easily identifiable appearance on the celestial vault near the ecliptic . The second, essential for the ancients, is that in the middle of the third millennium BC, this asterism (a prominent pattern or group of stars that is smaller than a constellation) marked the vernal point . (2330 BC with ecliptic latitude about +3.5° according to Stellarium ) The importance of this asterism

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3904-468: Is known as te whetū o te tau ("the star of the year"). The time in midsummer when Matariki is overhead in the night sky is referred to as te paki o Matariki , i.e. the calm weather of summer – a phrase meaning good weather and good fortune. In Māori historical recollection, the Tainui canoe was instructed to leave the homeland of Hawaiki for Aotearoa in summer, when Matariki was overhead: this being

4026-427: Is near conjunction with the Sun. In higher northern latitudes, Antares is only visible low in the south in summertime. Higher than 64° northern latitude, the star does not rise at all. Antares is easier to see from the southern hemisphere due to its southerly declination. In the whole of Antarctica, the star is circumpolar as the whole continent is above 64° S latitude. Radial velocity variations were observed in

4148-442: Is often described as green, but this is probably either a contrast effect , or the result of the mixing of light from the two stars when they are seen together through a telescope and are too close to be completely resolved. Antares B can sometimes be observed with a small telescope for a few seconds during lunar occultations while Antares is hidden by the Moon. Antares B appears a profound blue or bluish-green color, in contrast to

4270-421: Is still reflected in modern Māori mourning practices. An important part of the celebration was whāngai i te hautapu , a ceremonial offering of food to the stars. The reasoning was that Matariki, after shepherding the spirits of the dead up from the underworld and turning the sun back from the winter solstice, would be weak and in need of sustenance. A small hāngī or earth oven was built, with heated stones in

4392-510: Is the Māori name for the cluster of stars known to Western astronomers as the Pleiades in the constellation Taurus . Matariki is a shortened version of Ngā mata o te ariki o Tāwhirimātea , "the eyes of the god Tāwhirimātea". According to Māori tradition, Tāwhirimātea , the god of wind and weather, was enraged by the separation of heaven and earth – his parents, Ranginui and Papatūānuku . Defeated in battle by his brother, Tāwhirimātea fled to

4514-748: Is the star's Bayer designation . Antares has the Flamsteed designation 21 Scorpii, as well as catalogue designations such as HR 6134 in the Bright Star Catalogue and HD 148478 in the Henry Draper Catalogue . As a prominent infrared source, it appears in the Two Micron All-Sky Survey catalogue as 2MASS J16292443-2625549 and the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) Sky Survey Atlas catalogue as IRAS 16262–2619. It

4636-562: The nakshatra ( Hindu lunar mansions ). The ancient Chinese called Antares 心宿二 ( Xīnxiù'èr , "second star of the Heart"), because it was the second star of the mansion Xin (心). It was the national star of the Shang dynasty , and it was sometimes referred to as ( Chinese : 火星 ; pinyin : Huǒxīng ; lit. 'fiery star') because of its reddish appearance. The Māori people of New Zealand call Antares Rēhua , and regard it as

4758-548: The American Association of Variable Star Observers since 1945, and it has been classified as an LC slow irregular variable star, whose apparent magnitude slowly varies between extremes of +0.6 and +1.6, although usually near magnitude +1.0. There is no obvious periodicity, but statistical analyses have suggested periods of 1,733 days or 1650 ± 640 days. No separate long secondary period has been detected, although it has been suggested that primary periods longer than

4880-658: The Arab warrior-hero celebrated in the pre-Islamic poems Mu'allaqat . However, the name "Antares" is already proven in the Greek culture, e.g. in Ptolemy's Almagest and Tetrabiblos. In 2016, the International Astronomical Union organised a Working Group on Star Names (WGSN) to catalog and standardise proper names for stars. The WGSN's first bulletin of July 2016 included a table of the first two batches of names approved by

5002-883: The Arabs (who call them al-Thurayyā ; الثريا ); the Chinese (who called them mǎo ; 昴 ); the Quechua (who call them Qullqa or the storehouse); the Japanese (who call them Subaru ; 昴 , スバル ); the Maya ; the Aztec ; the Sioux ; the Kiowa ; and the Cherokee . In Hinduism , the Pleiades are known as Kṛttikā and are scripturally associated with the war deity Kartikeya and are also identified or associated with

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5124-458: The Bayer designation α Scorpii , which is Latinised to Alpha Scorpii . Often referred to as "the heart of the scorpion", Antares is flanked by σ Scorpii and τ Scorpii near the center of the constellation. Distinctly reddish when viewed with the naked eye, Antares is a slow irregular variable star that ranges in brightness from an apparent visual magnitude of +0.6 down to +1.6. It is on average

5246-469: The Coma Berenices cluster , etc.). Measurements of the distance have elicited much controversy. Results prior to the launch of the Hipparcos satellite generally found that the Pleiades were approximately 135 parsecs (pc) away from Earth. Data from Hipparcos yielded a surprising result, namely a distance of only 118 pc, by measuring the parallax of stars in the cluster—a technique that should yield

5368-466: The Hyades were sisters of the Pleiades. The following table gives details of the brightest stars in the cluster: Ages for star clusters may be estimated by comparing the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram for the cluster with theoretical models of stellar evolution . Using this technique, ages for the Pleiades of between 75 and 150 million years have been estimated. The wide spread in estimated ages

5490-639: The Marquesas the star cluster is known as Mataiʻi or Mataʻiki , in the Cooks as Matariki , and in the Tuamotu archipelago as Mata-ariki . In some languages it has Best's meaning of 'little eyes', but in most it is a contraction of mata-ariki , meaning 'eyes of the god' or 'eyes of the chief'. In Hawaiʻi , the rising of Makaliʻi in November ushers in the four-month season Makahiki , which honours Lono ,

5612-560: The Moon . The occultation of 31 July 2009 was visible in much of southern Asia and the Middle East. Every year around December 2 the Sun passes 5° north of Antares. Lunar occultations of Antares are fairly common, depending on the 18.6-year cycle of the lunar nodes . The last cycle ended in 2010 and the next begins in 2023. Shown at right is a video of a reappearance event, clearly showing events for both components. Antares can also be occulted by

5734-606: The Māori Language Commission began a move to "reclaim Matariki, or Aotearoa Pacific New Year , as an important focus for Māori language regeneration". In 2016 Te Wānanga o Aotearoa promoted a new vision of Matariki in a month-long roadshow called "Te Iwa o Matariki" ( iwa being Māori for "nine"), stressing the nine stars recognised by some iwi. Since then it has increasingly become common practice for people – Māori and non-Māori – and institutions such as schools, libraries, and city councils to celebrate Matariki in

5856-508: The Quran . On numerous cylinder seals from the beginning of the first millennium BC, M45 is represented by seven points, while the Seven Gods appear, on low-reliefs of Neo-Assyrian royal palaces, wearing long open robes and large cylindrical headdresses surmounted by short feathers and adorned with three frontal rows of horns and a crown of feathers, while carrying both an ax and a knife, as well as

5978-475: The Ringatū church, but its traditional celebration had almost ceased by the early 20th century. The last of the traditional Matariki celebrations were recorded in the 1940s. Dansey records the ceremony being still practised in the 1880s or 1890s, and gives an account of one elderly New Plymouth woman carrying on the custom on her own until her death in 1941. The revival of the celebration of Matariki can be traced to

6100-519: The Saptamatrika(s) (Seven Mothers). Hindus celebrate the first day (new moon) of the month of Kartik as Diwali , a festival of abundance and lamps. The Pleiades are also mentioned three times in the Bible . The earliest known depiction of the Pleiades is likely a Northern German Bronze Age artifact known as the Nebra sky disk , dated to approximately 1600 BC. The Babylonian star catalogues name

6222-494: The Spitzer Space Telescope and Gemini North telescope , astronomers discovered that one of the stars in the cluster, HD 23514 , which has a mass and luminosity a bit greater than that of the Sun, is surrounded by an extraordinary number of hot dust particles. This could be evidence for planet formation around HD 23514. Antares Antares is the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius . It has

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6344-450: The proper motions of the stars, it was found that they are all moving in the same direction across the sky, at the same rate, further demonstrating that they were related. Charles Messier measured the position of the cluster and included it as "M45" in his catalogue of comet -like objects, published in 1771. Along with the Orion Nebula and the Praesepe cluster, Messier's inclusion of

6466-763: The weighted mean ; they gave a Hipparcos parallax distance of 126 pc and photometric distance of 132 pc based on stars in the AB Doradus , Tucana-Horologium and Beta Pictoris moving groups, which are all similar in age and composition to the Pleiades. Those authors note that the difference between these results may be attributed to random error. More recent results using very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) (August 2014), and preliminary solutions using Gaia Data Release 1 (September 2016) and Gaia Data Release 2 (August 2018), determine distances of 136.2 ± 1.2 pc, 134 ± 6 pc and 136.2 ± 5.0 pc, respectively. The Gaia Data Release 1 team were cautious about their result, and

6588-545: The 365.24 day solar Gregorian solar calendar. On 30 September 2021, Associate Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage Kiri Allan introduced the Te Kāhui o Matariki Public Holiday Bill to make Matariki a public holiday. The bill passed its first reading supported by the Labour, Green and Māori parties, but opposed by National and ACT . National argued that Matariki should replace an existing public holiday instead of being added as

6710-475: The 4 days of the nights of Tangaroa in the lunar month Piripi. The dates vary from late June to mid July, but are always on a Friday, to encourage people to travel and spend time with their families, and to give an extra public holiday to people who usually miss out on Mondayised public holidays (e.g. those who normally work Tuesday to Saturday). The date of Matariki varies because the 354-day Māori lunar calendar (with occasional intercalary months) only approximates

6832-553: The Arabic قَلْبُ ٱلْعَقْرَبِ [Qalb al-Άqrab] Error: {{Transliteration}}: transliteration text not Latin script ( help ) . This had been directly translated from the Ancient Greek Καρδία Σκορπίου Kardia Skorpiū . Cor Scorpii was a calque of the Greek name rendered in Latin . In ancient Mesopotamia , Antares may have been known by various names: Urbat, Bilu-sha-ziri ("the Lord of

6954-568: The Bill itself did not propose abolishing Queen's Birthday, and was voted down at its first reading . As part of the National – Māori Party agreement subsequent to the 2011 New Zealand general election , both parties agreed to support a "cultural heritage bill to recognise Matariki/Puanga, and to honour the peace-making heritage established at Parihaka ." In July 2020, Laura O'Connell Rapira delivered two combined petitions calling for Matariki to be made

7076-672: The Moon , i.e. five times the path that the "Moon" travels on average in one day and one night, to use the terminology of Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi . In Turkic Mythology - The Pleiades Constellation is one of the oldest cosmological figures of the Turks. Seasonal cycles in Anatolia are determined by this star group. The Pleiades are a prominent sight in winter in the Northern Hemisphere , and are easily visible from mid-southern latitudes. They have been known since antiquity to cultures all around

7198-554: The Pleiades MUL ( 𒀯𒀯 ), meaning "stars" (literally "star star"), and they head the list of stars along the ecliptic, reflecting the fact that they were close to the point of the vernal equinox around the twenty-third century BC. The Ancient Egyptians may have used the names "Followers" and "Ennead" in the prognosis texts of the Calendar of Lucky and Unlucky Days of papyrus Cairo 86637. Some Greek astronomers considered them to be

7320-461: The Pleiades has been noted as curious, as most of Messier's objects were much fainter and more easily confused with comets—something that seems scarcely possible for the Pleiades. One possibility is that Messier simply wanted to have a larger catalogue than his scientific rival Lacaille , whose 1755 catalogue contained 42 objects, and so he added some bright, well-known objects to boost the number on his list. Edme-Sébastien Jeaurat then drew in 1782

7442-499: The Pleiades showing 36 stars, in his treatise Sidereus Nuncius in March 1610. The Pleiades have long been known to be a physically related group of stars rather than any chance alignment. John Michell calculated in 1767 that the probability of a chance alignment of so many bright stars was only 1 in 500,000, and so surmised that the Pleiades and many other clusters must consist of physically related stars. When studies were first made of

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7564-796: The Seed"), Kak-shisa ("the Creator of Prosperity"), Dar Lugal ("The King"), Masu Sar ("the Hero and the King"), and Kakkab Bir ("the Vermilion Star"). In ancient Egypt , Antares represented the scorpion goddess Serket (and was the symbol of Isis in the pyramidal ceremonies). It was called t ms n h ntt "the red one of the prow". In Persia , Antares was known as one of the four " royal stars ". In India , it with σ Scorpii and τ Scorpii were Jyeshthā (the eldest or biggest, probably attributing its huge size), one of

7686-533: The VLBI authors assert "that the Hipparcos -measured distance to the Pleiades cluster is in error". The most recent distance estimate of the distance to the Pleiades based on the Gaia Data Release 3 is 135.74 ± 0.10 pc . The cluster core radius is approximately 8 light-years and tidal radius is approximately 43 light-years. The cluster contains more than 1,000 statistically confirmed members, not counting

7808-527: The WGSN, which included Antares for the star α Scorpii A. It is now so entered in the IAU Catalog of Star Names. Antares is visible all night around May 31 of each year, when the star is at opposition to the Sun . Antares then rises at dusk and sets at dawn as seen at the equator. For two to three weeks on either side of November 30, Antares is not visible in the night sky from mid-northern latitudes, because it

7930-476: The appearance of the planet Mars . The comparison of Antares with Mars may have originated with early Mesopotamian astronomers which is considered an outdated speculation, because the name of this star in Mesopotamian astronomy has always been "heart of Scorpion" and it was associated with the goddess Lisin . Some scholars have speculated that the star may have been named after Antar , or Antarah ibn Shaddad,

8052-499: The bill a "neutral" name such as Pleiades , which prompted Crown-Māori Relations Minister Kelvin Davis to claim that the former's remarks showed National's contempt for Māori culture. The bill received royal assent on 11 April 2022. Matariki was first observed as a public holiday on 24 June 2022, including a pre-dawn live broadcast of a hautapu ceremony. It was received positively overall by New Zealanders. Its significance to New Zealanders

8174-420: The brightest stars were once thought to be leftover material from their formation, but are now considered likely to be an unrelated dust cloud in the interstellar medium through which the stars are currently passing. This dust cloud is estimated to be moving at a speed of approximately 18 km/s relative to the stars in the cluster. Computer simulations have shown that the Pleiades were probably formed from

8296-519: The changes in the calendars based on the lunar stations among the Indians and the Arabs, consider the case of an ancient Yemeni calendar in which the months are designated according to an astronomical criterion that caused it to be named Calendar of the Pleiades : the month of ḫams , literally "five", is that during which the Sun and al-Ṯurayyā , i.e. the Pleiades , deviate from each other by five movements of

8418-523: The chief of all the stars especially the Matariki . Rēhua is father of Puanga/Puaka ( Rigel ), an important star in the calculation of the Māori calendar. The Wotjobaluk Koori people of Victoria, Australia, knew Antares as Djuit , son of Marpean-kurrk ( Arcturus ); the stars on each side represented his wives. The Kulin Kooris saw Antares ( Balayang ) as the brother of Bunjil ( Altair ). Antares appears in

8540-418: The cluster as a whole include Te Tautari-nui-o-Matariki ("Matariki fixed in the heavens") and Te Huihui o Matariki ("the assembly of Matariki"). Matariki is sometimes incorrectly translated as mata riki ("little eyes"), a mistake originating in the work of Elsdon Best and continued by others. The word matariki or similar, referring to the Pleiades, is found in many Polynesian languages. In

8662-431: The cluster is simply passing through a particularly dusty region of the interstellar medium . Studies show that the dust responsible for the nebulosity is not uniformly distributed, but is concentrated mainly in two layers along the line of sight to the cluster. These layers may have been formed by deceleration due to radiation pressure as the dust has moved toward the stars. Analyzing deep-infrared images obtained by

8784-458: The cluster may be seen even with small telescopes or average binoculars. It is a reflection nebula , caused by dust reflecting the blue light of the hot, young stars. It was formerly thought that the dust was left over from the formation of the cluster, but at the age of approximately 100 million years generally accepted for the cluster, almost all the dust originally present would have been dispersed by radiation pressure . Instead, it seems that

8906-405: The cluster will take approximately 250 million years to disperse, because of gravitational interactions with giant molecular clouds and the spiral arms of our galaxy hastening its demise. With larger amateur telescopes, the nebulosity around some of the stars may be easily seen, especially when long-exposure photographs are taken. Under ideal observing conditions, some hint of nebulosity around

9028-464: The cluster's importance in delimiting the sailing season in the Mediterranean Sea : "the season of navigation began with their heliacal rising ". In Classical Greek mythology the name was used for seven divine sisters called the Pleiades . In time, the name was said to be derived from that of a mythical mother, Pleione , effectively meaning "daughters of Pleione". In reality, the ancient name of

9150-633: The cluster, although they contribute less than 2% of the total mass. Astronomers have made great efforts to find and analyze brown dwarfs in the Pleiades and other young clusters, because they are still relatively bright and observable, while brown dwarfs in older clusters have faded and are much more difficult to study. The brightest stars of the cluster are named the Seven Sisters in early Greek mythology : Sterope , Merope , Electra , Maia , Taygeta , Celaeno , and Alcyone . Later, they were assigned parents, Pleione and Atlas . As daughters of Atlas,

9272-638: The date of a public holiday using the new moon in June; this was later changed to the new moon of the heliacal rising of Matariki when the bill was drawn a month later and set down for introduction into Parliament. Mayor of Waitakere City Bob Harvey supported the call to make Matariki a public holiday to replace Queen's Birthday , along with the Republican Movement of Aotearoa New Zealand , which found none of New Zealand's local authorities held celebrations for Queen's Birthday but many celebrated Matariki. However,

9394-414: The deceased, and making an offering of food to the stars. This time of the year was also a good time to instruct young people in the lore of the land and the forest. In addition, certain birds and fish were associated with Matariki: to Tūhoe it marked the beginning of the season where kererū or native pigeon could be captured, cooked, and preserved in its own fat, and the rise of Matariki corresponded with

9516-566: The deceased, so its brightness would signal how many people were likely to pass away in the coming year. These predictions were made by tohunga kōkōrangi, learned elders who had studied and debated for many years in a whare kōkōrangi (house of astronomical learning). After the forecasts for the year had been read from the stars, the deceased were invoked with tears and song in a ceremony called te taki mōteatea ("the reciting of laments"). The names of everyone who had died since Matariki's last rising were recited. Traditionally, Māori believed that

9638-509: The departed relates to the lone pōhutukawa tree at Te Rerenga Wairua ( Cape Reinga ), the departing place for the spirits of the deceased as they return to the ancestral homeland of Hawaiki. Mourning the deceased is one component of the Matariki celebration. Hiwa-i-te-rangi, also known just as Hiwa, is the youngest of Matariki's children and was considered the "wishing star": Māori would rest their hopes and desires on Hiwa, similar to "wishing upon

9760-425: The diameter, but those measurements are likely to have been affected by asymmetry of the atmosphere and the narrow range of infrared wavelengths observed; Antares has an extended shell which radiates strongly at those particular wavelengths. Despite its large size compared to the Sun, Antares is dwarfed by even larger red supergiants, such as VY Canis Majoris , VV Cephei A , WOH G64 , or Mu Cephei . Antares, like

9882-606: The early 1990s, sparked by various Māori iwi and organisations such as the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa , for example in 1995 there was a festival called Pipitea Marae: Te Whakanui i a Matariki, at Pipitea Marae , Wellington City supported by Te Awa Kairangi Community Arts, Te Atiawa FM, Ernst & Young and Te Taura Whiri. Te Rangi Huata of Ngāti Kahungunu began in 2000 an annual Matariki celebration in Hastings, which attracted 500 people, which reached 15,000 in 2001. In 2001,

10004-425: The energy states in the outflow of matter from the companion star suggests that the latter is over 220  AU beyond the primary (about 33 billion km). Antares is a red supergiant star with a stellar classification of M1.5Iab-Ib, and is indicated to be a spectral standard for that class. Due to the nature of the star, the derived parallax measurements have large errors, so that the true distance of Antares

10126-449: The extended public holiday as an opportunity for shopping events, such as the sale of fireworks. There are concerns regarding the impact of commercialisation on Matariki in the future, potentially associating the holiday with binge-drinking instead of time with whānau (family) as intended. Pleiades The cluster is dominated by hot blue luminous stars that have formed within the last 100 million years. Reflection nebulae around

10248-535: The fifteenth-brightest star in the night sky . Antares is the brightest and most evolved stellar member of the Scorpius–Centaurus association , the nearest OB association to the Sun. It is located about 170 parsecs (550  ly ) from Earth at the rim of the Upper Scorpius subgroup, and is illuminating the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex in its foreground. Classified as spectral type M1.5Iab-Ib , Antares

10370-466: The first date for the public holiday as 24 June 2022. Legislation to give this legal effect would be introduced during the 2021 parliamentary session. On 2 July 2021, the day the constellation rose, Ardern announced the proposed dates of the holiday for the next 30 years, as determined by a Matariki Advisory Group drawn from iwi across the country. The date of the holiday was formalised as the Friday closest to

10492-404: The first month of the Māori lunar calendar, Pipiri (meaning to huddle together). All the months of the Māori calendar are indicated by this heliacal rising of a particular star on the eastern horizon just before dawn, on the night of the new moon: for example, the tenth month, Poutūterangi, is signalled by the heliacal rising of Altair . Matariki's role in signalling the start of the year means it

10614-468: The god of agriculture and fertility. In Tahiti, the year was divided into two seasons, named according to whether the Pleiades are visible after sunset: Matariʻi i nia (' Matariʻi above') and Matariʻi i raro (' Matariʻi below'). On Rapa Nui , Matariki heralded the New Year, and its disappearance in mid-April ended the fishing season. To the ancient Greeks, the Pleiades contained nine stars:

10736-613: The highest-mass brown dwarfs will burn it eventually, and so determining the highest mass of brown dwarfs still containing lithium in the cluster may give an idea of its age. Applying this technique to the Pleiades gives an age of about 115 million years. The cluster is slowly moving in the direction of the feet of what is currently the constellation of Orion . Like most open clusters, the Pleiades will not stay gravitationally bound forever. Some component stars will be ejected after close encounters with other stars; others will be stripped by tidal gravitational fields. Calculations suggest that

10858-535: The inner pair of stars within Atlas (a bright triple star in the Pleiades) favors a distance of 133 to 137 pc. However, the author of the 2007–2009 catalog of revised Hipparcos parallaxes reasserted that the distance to the Pleiades is ~120 pc and challenged the dissenting evidence. In 2012, Francis and Anderson proposed that a systematic effect on Hipparcos parallax errors for stars in clusters would bias calculation using

10980-567: The month on the full moon rather than the new moon. There has also always been regional variation across Aotearoa, in which stars signal the start of the New Year, and what date is chosen to celebrate it. Some iwi (tribes) – specifically those in the far north of Te Ika-a-Māui (the North Island ), the mid-western parts of Te Ika-a-Māui around Taranaki , the Chatham Islands , and much of Te Waipounamu ( South Island ) – celebrate Puanga, using

11102-459: The morning sky." It has been suggested that that tradition of Puaka belonged to the first Polynesian settlers to arrive in Aotearoa, and Matariki was brought by a second wave of arrivals, who also brought the first kūmara (with which Matariki is associated). In Māori tradition the stars Puanga and Matariki were rivals, with Puanga beautifying herself every winter, attempting to be the star beside which

11224-490: The most direct and accurate results. Later work consistently argued that the Hipparcos distance measurement for the Pleiades was erroneous: In particular, distances derived to the cluster via the Hubble Space Telescope and infrared color–magnitude diagram fitting (so-called " spectroscopic parallax ") favor a distance between 135 and 140 pc; a dynamical distance from optical interferometric observations of

11346-705: The name Mutsuraboshi ("six stars") in the eighth-century Kojiki . The cluster is now known in Japan as Subaru. The name was chosen for that of the Subaru Telescope , the 8.2-meter (320 in) flagship telescope of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan , located at the Mauna Kea Observatory on the island of Hawaii . It had the largest monolithic primary mirror in the world from its commissioning in 1998 until 2005. It also

11468-472: The night before the new moon . The new moon, or whiro , is considered inauspicious in the Māori calendar, so would spoil any celebrations. Because Māori traditionally use a 354-day lunar calendar with 29.5 days to the month, rather than the 365-day Gregorian solar calendar, the dates of Matariki vary each year. Māori did not use a single unified lunar calendar, and different iwi might recognise different numbers of months, give them different names, or start

11590-436: The number that would be added if all binary stars could be resolved. Its light is dominated by young, hot blue stars , up to 14 of which may be seen with the naked eye, depending on local observing conditions and visual acuity of the observer. The brightest stars form a shape somewhat similar to that of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor . The total mass contained in the cluster is estimated to be approximately 800 solar masses and

11712-558: The orange-red Antares. In the Babylonian star catalogues dating from at least 1100 BCE, Antares was called GABA GIR.TAB, "the Breast of the Scorpion". In MUL.APIN , which dates between 1100 and 700 BC, it is one of the stars of Ea in the southern sky and denotes the breast of the Scorpion goddess Ishhara . Later names that translate as "the Heart of Scorpion" include Calbalakrab from

11834-406: The pair is the red supergiant, while the fainter is a hot main sequence star of magnitude 5.5. They have a projected separation of about 79.1  Tm (529  AU ). Its traditional name Antares derives from the Ancient Greek Ἀντάρης , meaning "rival to Ares ", due to the similarity of its reddish hue to the appearance of the planet Mars . α Scorpii (Latinised to Alpha Scorpii )

11956-505: The parents Atlas and Pleione , positioned to one side of the cluster, and their seven daughters Alcyone , Maia , Taygeta , Electra , Merope , Celaeno and Sterope . Many Māori sources, especially older ones, list seven stars in Matariki: Matariki herself, the central star in the cluster (the kai whakahaere or 'conductor'), and six children. The emblem of the Kīngitanga or Māori King movement, Te Paki o Matariki, includes

12078-510: The planets, e.g. Venus , but these events are rare. The last occultation of Antares by Venus took place on September 17, 525 BC; the next one will be November 17, 2400. Other planets have been calculated not to have occulted Antares over the last millennium, nor will they in the next millennium, as most planets stay near the ecliptic and pass north of Antares. Venus will be extremely near Antares on October 19, 2117, and every eight years thereafter through to October 29, 2157, it will pass south of

12200-420: The pulsations. The diameter of Antares can be measured most accurately using interferometry or observing lunar occultations events. An apparent diameter from occultations 41.3 ± 0.1 milliarcseconds has been published. Interferometry allows synthesis of a view of the stellar disc, which is then represented as a limb-darkened disk surrounded by an extended atmosphere. The diameter of the limb-darkened disk

12322-400: The remaining winter would be warm, but hazy or twinkling stars predicted bad weather in the season ahead. The colour, brightness, and distinctiveness of each star in Matariki would be assessed, and forecasts made according to each of their associations: for example, if Tupu-ā-rangi did not shine clearly then hunters would expect a poor catch of birds in the coming season. Pōhutukawa was linked to

12444-457: The return of korokoro (lampreys) from the sea to spawn in rivers. Because of the frequent poor weather in winter, the viewing of Matariki was spread across the three or four nights of Tangaroa to increase the chance that the stars would be clearly seen. The first clear night marked the beginning of festivities. When Matariki reappeared, Māori would look to its stars for a forecast of the coming season's prosperity: if they shone clear and bright,

12566-486: The rising of the brighter star Rigel ( Puanga in northern Māori, Puaka in southern Māori) as the marker of the New Year, instead of Matariki. This is sometimes attributed to Puanga being more visible or visible earlier than Matariki, but, as Rangi Mātāmua puts it, "the variation in the rising between Matariki and Puanga is very small, and if the Tangaroa nights of Piripi are observed correctly, then both stars will be seen in

12688-415: The separation are often interpreted as evidence of orbital motion, but are more likely to be simply observational inaccuracies with very little true relative motion between the two components. The pair have a projected separation of about 529 astronomical units (AU) (≈ 80 billion km) at the estimated distance of Antares, giving a minimum value for the distance between them. Spectroscopic examination of

12810-518: The similarly sized red supergiant Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion , will almost certainly explode as a supernova , probably in 1.0 to 1.4 million years. For a few months, the Antares supernova could be as bright as the full moon and be visible in daytime. Antares B is a magnitude 5.5 blue-white main-sequence star of spectral type B2.5V; it also has numerous unusual spectral lines suggesting it has been polluted by matter ejected by Antares. It

12932-403: The sky to live with Ranginui, but in his anger he first plucked out his eyes as a gesture of contempt towards his siblings, and flung them into the sky, where they remain, stuck to his father's chest. In Māori tradition the unpredictability of the winds is blamed on Tāwhirimātea's blindness. The word Matariki is the name of both the star cluster and one of the stars within it. Other terms for

13054-476: The spectrum of Antares in the early 20th century, and attempts were made to derive spectroscopic orbits. It became apparent that the small variations could not be due to orbital motion, and they were actually caused by pulsation of the star's atmosphere. Even in 1928, it was calculated that the size of the star must vary by about 20%. Antares was first reported to have a companion star by Johann Tobias Bürg during an occultation on April 13, 1819, although this

13176-435: The spirits of the dead were collected during the year and at the setting of Matariki in the month of Hautara they were led into the afterlife. On the rising of Matariki at the start of the year, the deceased of the past year were carried up from the underworld and cast up into the night sky to become stars, accompanied by prayers and the recitation of their names. Beginning the mourning for the previous year's departed at Matariki

13298-436: The star Matariki flanked by three stars on each side. The six other stars are sometimes named as Matariki's daughters; it has been suggested that the idea of Matariki as a group of seven female stars was influenced by the concept of the Pleiades' "seven sisters". The manuscript of Rāwiri Te Kōkau passed on to Rangi Mātāmua recognised nine stars in Matariki, adding Pōhutukawa and Hiwa-i-te-Rangi (also known just as Hiwa) to make

13420-411: The star cluster related to sailing almost certainly came first in the culture, naming of a relationship to the sister deities followed, and eventually appearing in later myths, to interpret the group name, a mother, Pleione. The M45 group played an important role in ancient times for the establishment of many calendars thanks to the combination of two remarkable elements. The first, which is still valid,

13542-401: The star. Antares is the brightest and most evolved stellar member of the Scorpius–Centaurus association , the nearest OB association to the Sun. It is a member of the Upper Scorpius subgroup of the association, which contains thousands of stars with a mean age of 11 million years. Antares is located about 170 parsecs (550  ly ) from Earth at the rim of the Upper Scorpius subgroup, and

13664-413: The success of the celebrations in Aotearoa following a proposal by its Minister of Culture Eliane Tevahitua ; the act would be implemented officially on 2025. A proposal to make Matariki an official public holiday in New Zealand was made by former Māori Party MP Rahui Katene 's member's bill Te Ra o Matariki Bill/Matariki Day Bill , drawn from the ballot in June 2009. The Bill would have fixed

13786-418: The sun rises and signals the New Year, but being eternally frustrated when each year the Sun rose beside Matariki. Other iwi use Atutahi ( Canopus ) rather than Puanga, or the setting of Rehua ( Antares ) in winter, to mark the New Year. Matariki was an occasion to mourn the deceased, celebrate the present, and prepare the ground for the coming year. The ceremony had three parts: viewing the stars, remembering

13908-479: The tenuous and translucent nature of the extended outer regions of the star. Defining an effective temperature is difficult due to spectral lines being generated at different depths in the atmosphere, and linear measurements produce different results depending on the wavelength observed. In addition, Antares pulsates in size, varying its radius by 19%. It also varies in temperature by 150 K, lagging 70 days behind radial velocity changes which are likely to be caused by

14030-460: The winter solstice or the traditional dates of Matariki. In 2024, Charles III , as King of New Zealand , released a message recognising the holiday in both English and Māori. Earlier on 30 April, President of French Polynesia Moetai Brotherson in a session with his Council of Ministers agreed to make their local counterpart Matariʻi as an official public holiday on November 20th in place of Internal Autonomy Day on June 29th inspired by

14152-653: The world, including the Celts ( Welsh : Tŵr Tewdws , Irish : Streoillín ); pre-colonial Filipinos (who called it Mapúlon , Mulo‑pulo or Muró‑púro , among other names), for whom it indicated the beginning of the year; Hawaiians (who call them Makaliʻi ), Māori (who call them Matariki ); Indigenous Australians (from several traditions ); the Achaemenid Empire , whence in Persians (who called them Parvīn – پروین – or Parvī – پروی );

14274-416: The year to come, mourning the deceased of the past year, and making an offering of food to replenish the stars. Some Māori use the rise of Puanga ( Rigel ) or other stars to mark the new year. Celebration of Matariki declined during the 20th century, but beginning in the early 1990s it underwent a revival. Matariki was first celebrated as an official public holiday in New Zealand on 24 June 2022. Matariki

14396-410: Was chosen as the brand name of Subaru automobiles to reflect the origins of the firm as the joining of five companies, and is depicted in the firm's six-star logo. Galileo Galilei was the first astronomer to view the Pleiades through a telescope . He thereby discovered that the cluster contains many stars too dim to be seen with the naked eye. He published his observations, including a sketch of

14518-489: Was measured as 37.38 ± 0.06 milliarcseconds in 2009 and 37.31 ± 0.09 milliarcseconds in 2010. The linear radius of the star can be calculated from its angular diameter and distance. However, the distance to Antares is not known with the same accuracy as modern measurements of its diameter. An estimate obtained by interferometry in 1925 by Francis G. Pease at the Mount Wilson Observatory gave Antares

14640-540: Was not widely accepted and dismissed as a possible atmospheric effect. It was then observed by Scottish astronomer James William Grant FRSE while in India on 23 July 1844. It was rediscovered by Ormsby M. Mitchel in 1846 and measured by William Rutter Dawes in April 1847. In 1952, Antares was reported to vary in brightness. A photographic magnitude range from 3.00 to 3.16 was described. The brightness has been monitored by

14762-502: Was passed down by oral tradition, and different regions and iwi recorded different dates, significant constellations, and traditional calendars or maramataka . The Pleiades constellation (Matariki) is visible for most of the year in New Zealand, except for approximately a month in the middle of winter. Matariki finally sets in the west in the early evening in May, and reappears just prior to sunrise in late June or early July, which begins

14884-496: Was the final part of the ceremony, which ended at sunrise. The Matariki ceremony was followed by days of festivities – song, dance, and feasting – known as te mātahi o te tau ("the first fruits of the year"), celebrating prosperity, life, and the promise of the year to come. With the colonisation of New Zealand by Pākehā settlers in the 19th century, many traditional Māori practices began to decline. Some aspects of Matariki were incorporated into new religious traditions such as

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