Aboriginal astronomy can teach us about the link between sky and land | Kirsten Banks

My favourite Aboriginal constellation is the Great Celestial Emu, the dark clouds of our Milky Way manifesting as a huge emu in the skyRecently, astronomers have been calling for a“dark sky reserve” in Central Australia– minimising artificial light to make it a reclaimed area for astronomical observing. There are already 12 international dark sky reserve sites around the world, but it would be the first of its kind in Australia.If you ’ve had any form of state education in Australia, I’m sure you must have heard an Indigenous dreamtime story at least once in your life. Maybe it was Tiddalick the Frog, or maybe even the Rainbow Serpent. These stories you may have heard as a child hold a wealth of astronomical knowledge – and there’s more where that came from.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Astronomy Indigenous Australians Space Science Source Type: news