Showing 10 August – 20 September 2026
Winterstellar Charitable Trust presents a spectacular exhibition celebrating the extraordinary night skies of Central Otago and Te Waipounamu, featuring work by some of New Zealand’s leading astrophotographers.
Across the Henderson and Grant Galleries at Central Stories Museum & Art Gallery, visitors can experience large-scale astrophotography, immersive installations and timelapse imagery from Kavan Chay, Tom Rae, Professor Brian Boyle, Andy Davey, Danny Mollan, Joe Nidd and Douglas Thorne.
At the heart of the exhibition is a striking 2.5-metre steel arch featuring a high-definition Milky Way panorama by Professor Brian Boyle. Visitors can walk through the arch, creating the sensation of stepping beneath one of Central Otago’s magnificent dark skies.
The Grant Gallery is dedicated to Central Otago’s night sky. Highlights include a 2.5m × 1.2m photograph and accompanying timelapse capturing people watching a spectacular aurora from the Alexandra lookout, alongside an equally large and remarkable image by Kavan Chay showing a rare “Double Arch” Milky Way sweeping above Lindis Pass.
The Henderson Gallery broadens the journey across Te Waipounamu / the South Island, showcasing the diversity and beauty of the southern night sky through the eyes of some of the country’s most accomplished night-sky photographers.
More than an exhibition of beautiful images, Winterstellar celebrates a natural environment that remains remarkably accessible in Central Otago: genuinely dark skies. Through its exhibitions, community programmes and dark-sky protection work, Winterstellar Charitable Trust is working to ensure that this extraordinary part of our natural heritage can be experienced by generations to come.
Winterstellar 2026
Henderson & Grant Galleries
Central Stories Museum & Art Gallery, Alexandra
10 August – 20 September 2026
