EVENT: The Astronomy of Aboriginal Australians

Speaker: Professor Ray Norris, Australia Telescope National Facility, CSIRO.

Were Aboriginal Australians the world's first astronomers? We are trying to answer this question, using information from two main sources.

Once source consists of the thriving and vibrant Aboriginal cultures in the Top End of Australia, which embody an intimate knowledge of the sky. For example, the beautiful "morning star ceremony" is timed for the rising of Venus, while other stories explain tides and eclipses. Often the rising of particular stars or constellations were used to set the calendar, or warn when it's time to move camp to harvest a seasonal food.

The other source consists of the artefacts of Aboriginal people of South East Australia. For example, crescent moons can be seen amongst the Sydney rock engravings, and an emu engraving seems to portray the "emu in the sky" rather than a real-life emu. One stone circle in Victoria appears to be oriented on the solstices and the equinox, and other stone arrangements seem carefully aligned on the cardinal points.

Aboriginal Astronomy is a new research field, but one which is rapidly growing, and perhaps helping us understand the depth and richness of Australian Indigenous cultures.

This lecture is part of the International Year of Astronomy Public Lecture Series.

Cost: Free. An RSVP is required for this lecture. Please RSVP your attendance to Scitech by email: [email protected] or phone 9215 0740