Introduction

Australian Aboriginal astronomy refers to Indigenous Australian culture relating to astronomical objects and their motions on the sky. These astronomical or celestial objects include bodies such as the sun, moon, stars, planets, and the Milky Way.

Aboriginal people noticed particular stars or patterns during certain times of the year. They recorded this information to guide them through the seasons. They used the stars to navigate their movements, as well as to understand when to gather resources and when to care for the land in a particular way.

Many Aboriginal groups link religious or mythological meanings to the stars or other celestial objects and phenomena. While there are many different astronomical traditions in Australia, many groups share common themes and systems.

Check out:

• What is Aboriginal astronomy?
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander astronomy
• Aboriginal Astronomy (Behind the News 3:15)
• History of Stargazing (Behind the News 3:46)
• Australia's first astronomers (ABC Science).

The belief system of Aboriginal people is connected to the night sky. Many believe that the night sky holds all of their knowledge, songs, stories and lore. It tells people how to live on Earth.

Most of the stars have stories associated with their origins — the stars and planets were once men, women and animals during creation.

Check out:

• The Aboriginal Creation Story (National Geographic 2:53)
• Seven sisters, a dreaming story relating to the Pleiades star cluster
• The canoe in Orion, a traditional Yolngu story
• Dust Echoes, a series of 12 animated Dreamtime stories from Central Arnhem Land.