18–22 May 2015
Catania, Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia
Europe/Rome timezone
Le sfide scientifiche affrontate con i nuovi grandi telescopi da terra e dallo spazio

Astronomy and Navigation in Aboriginal Australia

19 May 2015, 20:20
1h
Castello Ursino (Catania)

Castello Ursino

Catania

Invited talk Evento Pubblico Conferenza Pubblica

Speaker

Ray Norris (Australia Telescope National Facility)

Description

Aboriginal people in Australia have a rich astronomical tradition with stories about the Sun, Moon, and stars, revealing a depth and complexity of pre-contact Aboriginal cultures which are not widely appreciated by outsiders. Not only did they know the sky intimately, but they were familiar with planetary motions, tides, and eclipses. Their songs and stories show that Aboriginal Australians sought to understand their Universe in a similar way to modern science. They used this knowledge of the sky and land to construct songlines, enabling them to navigate across the country, trading artefacts and sacred stories. In this talk I will explore some of the wonderful mystic Aboriginal songs, stories, and art, and how these were used to understand their world.

Primary author

Ray Norris (Australia Telescope National Facility)

Presentation materials

There are no materials yet.