Many of the Australian Aboriginal cultures have a strong element of astronomy. Although there are many different Aboriginal cultures, each with its own astronomy, there are common threads. Australian Aborigines are the indigenous peoples of Australia. ... A giant Hubble mosaic of the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant. ... Indigenous peoples are: Peoples living in an area prior to colonization by a state Peoples living in an area within a nation-state, prior to the formation of a nation-state, but who do not identify with the dominant nation. ...

A depiction of the "[Emu] in the sky", which is an Australian Aboriginal constellation consisting of dark clouds rather than of stars. The European constellation on the right is crux or the Southern Cross, and on the left is Scorpius. The head of the emu is the Coalsack.

Many have stories of a female Sun who warmed the land, and a male Moon who was once a young slim man (the waxing crescent Moon), but grew fat and lazy (the full Moon). But then he broke the law, and was attacked by his people, resulting in his death (the New Moon). After remaining dead for 3 days, he rose again to repeat the cycle, and continues doing so till this day. The Kuwema people in the Northern Territory say that he grows fat at each full moon by devouring the spirits of those who disobey the tribal laws. Crux (IPA: , Latin: ), commonly known as the Southern Cross (in contrast to the Northern Cross), is the smallest of the 88 modern constellations, but nevertheless one of the most distinctive. ... Southern Cross is the English name of Crux Australis, a constellation visible in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Scorpius (Latin for scorpion, symbol , Unicode ♏) is one of the constellations of the zodiac. ... ... The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. ... Apparent magnitude: up to -12. ... Waxing is a temporary method of hair removal, which removes the hair from the root. ... In astronomy, a phase of the Moon is any of the aspects or appearances presented by the Moon as seen from Earth, determined by the portion of the Moon that is visibly illuminated by the Sun. ... Composite image of the Moon as taken by the Galileo spacecraft on 7 December 1992. ... The lunar phase depends on the Moons position in orbit around Earth. ... Capital Darwin Government Const. ... Composite image of the Moon as taken by the Galileo spacecraft on 7 December 1992. ...

Some Aboriginal Australians use the sky as a calendar to tell them when it's time to move to a new place and a new food supply. The Boorong people in Victoria know that when the Mallee-fowl constellation (Lyra) disappears in October, to "sit with the Sun", it's time to start gathering her eggs on Earth. Other groups know that when Orion first appears in the sky, the Dingo puppies are about to be born. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Victoria may refer to: // Victoria of the United Kingdom, aka Queen Victoria, former British monarch Victoria (Australia), a state in Australia Victoria, British Columbia, the capital of the Canadian province Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory Victoria may also refer to: Victoria (name) Main disambiguation page: Victoria of the United... The term mallee has several separate but inter-related meanings. ... For other uses, see Lyra (disambiguation). ... // Orion may mean: Astronomy and mythology Orion (mythology) the hunter, from Greek mythology Orion (constellation), a constellation Orion Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy Orion Nebula, a nebula also known as M42 Companies Orion (company), supplier of consumer electronics and white goods from Hungary Orion Beer, a... Trinomial name Canis lupus dingo (Meyer, 1793) Breed standards (external link) ANKC The dingo (plural dingoes or dingos), Canis lupus dingo, is a type of wild dog, probably descended from the Indian Wolf (Canis lupus pallipes). ...

The stars are also law-books, telling people how to live on Earth. The Yolngu people of Arnhem Land say that the constellation of Orion, which they call Julpan, is a canoe. They tell the story of two brothers who went fishing, and caught and ate a fish that was forbidden under their law. Seeing this, the Sun sent a waterspout that carried the two brothers and their canoe up into the sky where you can still see them. Location of Yolngu (yellow/green, top right) in the Northern Territory Dangu redirects here. ... Arnhem Land is an area of 97,000 km² in the north-eastern corner of the Northern Territory, Australia. ... // Orion may mean: Astronomy and mythology Orion (mythology) the hunter, from Greek mythology Orion (constellation), a constellation Orion Arm, a spiral arm in the Milky Way galaxy Orion Nebula, a nebula also known as M42 Companies Orion (company), supplier of consumer electronics and white goods from Hungary Orion Beer, a... The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. ...

When Yolngu people die, they are taken by a mystical canoe, Larrpan, to the spirit-land (Baralku) in the sky, where you can see their camp-fires burning along the edge of the great river of the Milky Way. The canoe is sent back to earth as a shooting star, letting their family on Earth know that they have arrived safely in the spirit-land. At a beautiful and important ceremony, the Yolngu people gather after sunset to await the rising of Barnumbirr, or Morning Star, which Europeans call Venus. As she approaches, in the early hours before dawn, she draws behind her a rope of light attached to Earth, and along this rope, with the aid of a richly decorated "Morning Star Pole", the people are able to communicate with their dead loved ones, showing that they still love and remember them. Location of Yolngu (yellow/green, top right) in the Northern Territory Dangu redirects here. ... The Milky Way (a translation of the Latin Via Lactea, in turn derived from the Greek Γαλαξίας (Galaxias), sometimes referred to simply as the Galaxy), is a barred spiral galaxy of the Local Group. ... Location of Yolngu (yellow/green, top right) in the Northern Territory Dangu redirects here. ... Morning Star may mean: Morning Star (chief), a Cheyenne leader, also known as Dull Knife. ... Adjectives: Venusian or (rarely) Cytherean Atmosphere Surface pressure: 9. ...

Another astronomical story which is widespread in Australia is that of the "Emu in the Sky", which has a black head (the Coalsack, next to the Southern Cross), and a body and dark legs trailing our along the Milky Way to Scorpius. Unlike European constellations, this constellation consists mainly of Dark Clouds of dust in the Milky Way. Binomial name Dromaius novaehollandiae (Latham, 1790) The Emu has been recorded in the black-coloured areas shown here. ... ... Southern Cross is the English name of Crux Australis, a constellation visible in the Southern Hemisphere. ... The Milky Way (a translation of the Latin Via Lactea, in turn derived from the Greek Γαλαξίας (Galaxias), sometimes referred to simply as the Galaxy), is a barred spiral galaxy of the Local Group. ... Scorpius (Latin for scorpion, symbol , Unicode ♏) is one of the constellations of the zodiac. ... Dark Clouds Supporters of the Minnesota Thunder, a professional soccer team. ... The Milky Way (a translation of the Latin Via Lactea, in turn derived from the Greek Γαλαξίας (Galaxias), sometimes referred to simply as the Galaxy), is a barred spiral galaxy of the Local Group. ...

Just North of Sydney, in the Kuringai National Park, are extensive rock engravings of the Guringai people who used to live there, including representations of the creator-hero Daramulan and his emu-wife. On autumn evenings, the emu in the sky stands directly over her portrait, just at the time when it's time to gather emu eggs. The Sydney Opera House on Sydney Harbour Sydney (pronounced ) is the most populous city in Australia with a metropolitan area population of over 4. ... Kuringgai (also spelt Ku-ring-gai, Kuring-gai, Guringai) is a name referring to an Indigenous Australian people of New South Wales. ... Binomial name Dromaius novaehollandiae (Latham, 1790) The Emu has been recorded in the black-coloured areas shown here. ... Binomial name Dromaius novaehollandiae (Latham, 1790) The Emu has been recorded in the black-coloured areas shown here. ... Binomial name Dromaius novaehollandiae (Latham, 1790) The Emu has been recorded in the black-coloured areas shown here. ...

Many other stories exist where the heliacal rising or setting of stars or constellations are used to tell Aboriginal Australians when it's time to move to a new ground in time for a new food source. The heliacal rising of a star (or other body such as the moon or a planet) occurs when it first becomes visible above the eastern horizon at dawn, after a period where it was hidden below the horizon or when it was just above the horizon but hidden by the... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

An interesting question is to what extent Aboriginal people were interested in the precise motion of the Sun, Moon, planets or stars. While there is not yet a definitive answer, it has been suggested that some of the stone arrangements in Victoria may have been used to indicate the equinox or solstice. Victoria may refer to: // Victoria of the United Kingdom, aka Queen Victoria, former British monarch Victoria (Australia), a state in Australia Victoria, British Columbia, the capital of the Canadian province Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory Victoria may also refer to: Victoria (name) Main disambiguation page: Victoria of the United... Illumination of the Earth by the Sun on the day of equinox, (ignoring twilight). ... A solstice is either of the two events of the year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the equatorial plane. ...

Further Reading

• Australian Aboriginal Astronomy
• Dark Sparklers Cairns, H., & Yidumduma Harney, B., 2003. Privately published.
• Johnson, D., 1998, “Night skies of Aboriginal Australia : a Noctuary”. Sydney, N.S.W., University of Sydney.
• Haynes, R.F., et al., 1996, “Explorers of the Southern Sky”, CUP.