What is Puanga?
Puanga (or Rigel in English - the left foot of Orion) is a star constellation that, on it's return and dawn rising above Maunga Taranaki, marks the Māori new year for Taranaki tribes. It’s a special time of year to remember and give thanks to our tupuna (ancestors) and recently departed loved ones. It's also time to finish the harvest and prepare the soil and plants for the coming year. Puanga Kai Rau is about enjoying the end of harvest and sharing stories and songs with family and friends during the cold months of winter as we await the tangi of the pipiwharauroa and kawekawea who herald the return of spring.
From Wikipedia:
Rigel, also known by its Bayer designation Beta Orionis (β Ori, β Orionis), is the brightest star in the constellation Orion and the seventh brightest star in the night sky, with visual magnitude 0.13. The star as seen from Earth is actually a triple star system, with the primary star (Rigel A) a blue-white supergiant of absolute magnitude −7.84 and around 120000 times as luminous as the Sun. An Alpha Cygni variable, it pulsates periodically. Visible in small telescopes, Rigel B is itself a spectroscopic binary system, consisting of two main sequence blue-white stars of spectral type B9.
From Wikipedia:
Rigel, also known by its Bayer designation Beta Orionis (β Ori, β Orionis), is the brightest star in the constellation Orion and the seventh brightest star in the night sky, with visual magnitude 0.13. The star as seen from Earth is actually a triple star system, with the primary star (Rigel A) a blue-white supergiant of absolute magnitude −7.84 and around 120000 times as luminous as the Sun. An Alpha Cygni variable, it pulsates periodically. Visible in small telescopes, Rigel B is itself a spectroscopic binary system, consisting of two main sequence blue-white stars of spectral type B9.
