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Astronomical Symbolism in Australian Flags
By Duane HamacherAustralia has three official flags: the national flag, the Aboriginal flag, and the Torres Strait Islander flag. Everyone knows about the astronomical symbolism of the national flag:...
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The Origin of the Moon
This is a Dreaming story from Cape York in far northern Queensland.Many years ago, people realised that a light was needed at nighttime because they found it difficult to walk around or to hunt. The...
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Ngaut Ngaut - A Lunar Calendar?
From Paul Curnow and Ray Norris (edited by Duane Hamacher)On the banks of the Murray River, north of Adelaide, is a rock art site called "Ngaut Ngaut" that has astronomical connections. However, those...
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Karrugang and the Origin of the Pleiades
This is a Gundungurra story from the Blue Mountains (NSW) about the origin of the star cluster Westerners call the Pleiades.In the Dreaming, a group of sisters were pursued by a magpie named Karrugang,...
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Sydney City Skywatchers - Lecture on Aboriginal Astronomy
Join the oldest operating astronomical group in Sydney. The group provides an opportunity for those interested in astronomy to share and broaden their interest in the sky. People at all levels are...
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The Magellanic Clouds
by Duane HamacherUnlike their Northern hemisphere counterparts, Southern hemisphere observers have a rich tapestry of celestial objects above their heads. of the thousands of visible stars, clusters,...
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Monuments Tied to the Sky: Ancient Astronomy and its Global Heritage
Sydney Observatory welcomes you to a special night about Archaeoastronomy. Professor Clive Ruggles from the University of Leicester, will give a special talk about ancient stone monuments and their...
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Ngadjuri Astronomy, South Australia
By Paul CurnowAustralian night skies by world standards are still quite good. Regrettably today, in heavily populated countries the light pollution combined with industrial pollution has lead towards a...
View ArticleMeamei - The Seven Sisters
A Dreaming story recorded by K.L.Parker (1897)WURRUNNAH had had a long day's hunting, and he came back to the camp tired and hungry. He asked his old mother for durrie, but she said there was none...
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Eagle Dreaming
By Paul CurnowI remember when I was in my teens, now unfortunately a long time ago; making regular trips with my family down to a town named Elliston, a small seaside town located along the shores of...
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Cultural Astronomy Lecture Tour by Clive Ruggles.
The 13 Towers of Chankillo, PeruProfessor Clive Ruggles will be giving a lecture tour in Australia and New Zealand from late-May until mid-June. His lectures will cover various aspects of cultural...
View ArticleSky-Shaping (A Poem by Michele Bannister)
By Michele Bannister28 May 2012In this way come the names. The kete of knowledge, grasp them, word-woven.The stars were not spilled from them to scatter—they are taonga, treasureda sorrowed son's gift...
View ArticleWhen Giant Fish Leaves the Sky
I would like to introduce our readers to a video presentation made by John Morieson and Alex Cherney about the astronomy of the Boorong clan (of the Wergaia language in northwest Victoria).John...
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Merlpal Maru Pathanu - Eclipse artwork in the Torres Strait
Artwork and story by David BosunMerlpal Maru Pathanu is the terminology most often used by our ancestors to describe either a solar eclipse or a lunar eclipse. Merlpal Mari Pathanu in the Maluililgal...
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The Dhui Dhui story
The Dhui Dhui (pronounced Doo-ee Doo-ee) Story appears courtesy of Russell Butler, of the Bandjin People. The sea country belonging to the Bandjin (‘Saltwater’) people includes Hinchinbrook Island and...
View Article"Dhinawan" (Emu In The Sky) with Ben Flick
Ben Flick, an Aboriginal man from the Kamilaroi language group of north-western NSW, explains a creation story passed down to him regarding 'the emu in the sky''. Astronomy is used to identify the...
View ArticleTour in the Central Desert & Other News
By Duane HamacherI do apologise for the sparse posts over the last few months. The Aboriginal astronomy project has expanded to the Nura Gili Centre for Indigenous Programs at the University of New...
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In Celebration of Dianne Johnson (1947-2012)
By Duane HamacherIt is with much sadness that I report on the passing of Dr Dianne Johnson (1947-2012). Dianne was a staunch advocate for Aboriginal rights and wrote the definitive book on Aboriginal...
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Wurdi Youang - the latest research
by Duane HamacherRecently, our paper on the alignments of the stones at Wurdi Youang have finally been accepted for publication in the journal Rock Art Research. A preprint of the paper can be found...
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