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Nga meka me nga mati mo Matariki
Matariki facts and figures
Ka kitea a Matariki i te atapo, ina tiro koe ki te raki-ma-marangai i te mutunga o te marama o Haratua. Ka tino kitea i roto i nga wiki e whai ake ana i muri, ka piki haere, nawai a, ka eke ki runga rawa, ka ahu whaka-te-tonga tona pikinga ake i te paerangi i te wa o te ra poto rawa atu o te tau.
Matariki becomes visible in the pre-dawn sky looking north-east towards the end of May. It becomes more clearly visible in the following weeks, rising further and further towards the south once the shortest day is past.
He kupu tatai arorangi
Astronomical terms
All of the Maori names for the planets follow those of the names of Pakeha gods. It is thought because of this that Maori followed the examples set by the Pakeha. Therefore, with the exception of Jupiter (as there is a true Maori name for Jupiter) all the names below stay true to that notion.
| Mars | Tu-mata-uenga |
| Pluto | Whiro |
| Neptune | Tangaroa |
| Jupiter | Parearau |
| Uranus | Wherangi |
| Mercury | Aparangi |
| Saturn | Rongo |
| Venus | Kopu, Tawera (o te ata) Meremere, Rereahiahi (o te ahiahi) |
| Earth | Papa-tu-a-nuku, (te) Whenua |
| Sun | Tama-nui-te-Ra |
| Star | Whetu |
| Comet | Unahiroa |
| Southern Cross | Te Taki o Autahi |
| Pleiades | Matariki |
| Rigel | Puanga |
| Orion | Tautoru |
| Sirius | Takurua |
| Cirrus | Purehurehu |
| Milky Way | Tira Whetu |
| Charon | Kuwatawata (mai i nga korero mo Mataora raua ko Niwareka) |
| astronomy | matauranga tatai arorangi |
| universe | ao tukupu |
| solar system | rerenga o Tama-nui-te-ra |
| galaxy (Milky Way) | Te Mango Roa |
| atmosphere | pihao |
| planet | aorangi (ao = world + rangi = heavenly) |
| asteroid | aorangi iti |
| orbit | amionga |
| gravity | to-a-papa |
| black hole | honea kore |
| corona | kurahauao (mai i te kurahaupo) |
| space probe | pokai atea (mai i te pokai whenua) |
| satelite (manmade) | arorangi (hori) |
| radar | hihiani (hihi = ray, beam + beam + ani = resounding, echoing) |
| navigate | urungi |
| eclipse | araitanga |
| equator | weherua |
| equatorial | weherua |
| equinox | weheruatanga o te ra, o te po |
| solstice | tuakaihautanga o Tama-nui-te-Ra (tuakaihau = kaore e kitea) |
| zenith | te komata o te rangi (tuakaihau = kaore e kitea) |
| hydrogen | hauwai |
| carbon dioxide | hauha |
| nucleus | karihi |
| atom | ngota |
| stratus | te kupenga a Tara-mainuku |
| cumulus | (he) kapua whakapipi |
| nimbus | (he) okewa |