Explore the Universe

LET’S JOURNEY TO THE STARS

Our solar system has been of interest to all our ancient people. Sites used as sky observation posts have been found all around the world. In the earliest times, these observation areas were usually posts of wood or stone that created alignments with equinoxes, solstices, risings and settings of planets, or the moon at various spots in its orbit.

Let’s investigate why!

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Indigenous STAR Navigation & survival

Indigenous cultures from around the world have shared a unique and intimate relationship with the night sky. Their knowledge of the stars has enabled them to understand the great cycles which depict life on Earth. By observing the Sun, the Moon, the Planets and the Constellations, indigenous cultures could establish time and cycles, when and where to find food, how to navigate and what to expect in the near and distant future.

Indigenous tribes were able to trace the movement of the constellations through the sky along what is known as the ecliptic. The ecliptic is the path in which the sun moves across the sky. There are 13 constellations that touch the ecliptic and 12 of these are known as the zodiac, which is a Greek word meaning ‘circle of animals’.

Indigenous people became familiar with the signs of the zodiac throughout the year. Certain stars within the constellations of Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius were always found very close to the ecliptic which meant tribes could be sure exactly when the seasons of summer, winter, autumn and spring had arrived. The seasons were the basis of fertility for all life on Earth.

The Egyptians celebrated their new year when the star Sirius was seen to rise over the Eastern horizon. This also meant the coming of rain to flood the Nile River & feed crops.

Stonehenge in England is a sacred place for ceremonies or rites of worship involving the sun and the moon. Designed as an astronomical observatory, Stonehenge enables people to determine important celestial dates.

The Mayan civilization of today’s South America developed one of the most advanced systems of sky observation known to this day. So advanced were the Mayans that they devised methods of tracing a 26,000-year galactic cycle.

DID YOU

KNOW?

The Dogon Tribe in Africa knew about the Sirius star system long before telescopes were ever invented. With the naked eye, the star Sirius appears to be one single star, however, in reality it is three stars. The Dogon story has amazed the best scientists of today.

www.halexandria.org

The Pleiades star cluster is well known and loved by many ancient cultures. Found in the constellation Taurus, we can find stories about the Pleiades from early China, Celtic Europe, Africa, South American - Mayan, North American Indian, New Zealand Maori and Australian Indigenous cultures.

Although, 7 prominent stars can be seen with the naked eye, there are in fact over 200 stars in the Pleiades. Some people can also use these stars to find north and navigate.

www.pleiade.org

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Finding North & South Using the STARS

The Earth is slowly spinning around on a rotational axis. It makes one complete turn in 24 hours. For this reason, the stars all appear to be slowly moving around a stationary point in the sky in a circular motion. In the northern hemisphere, the stationary star is actually the NORTH POLE STAR - POLARIS. It is called the NORTH STAR and is the most important star for the purpose of navigation and finding one's way.

Finding South in the Southern Hemisphere is a little more tricky. Yet, fortunately there are more than 3 star groups we can use to work it out. The most common requires the spectacular constellation of the Southern Cross, more recently termed ‘the Crux’. The next method uses the second and fourth brightest stars in the sky known as Canopus and Archenar. The final method looks at the 2 closest satellite galaxies to Earth known as the Magellan Clouds.

Our solar system is just a suburb of the Milky Way Galaxy and our little Earth rotates around the Sun, along with Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and the Dwarf planet Pluto. Our galactic suburb is situated about two thirds of the distance from the Milky Way’s centre on one of its gigantic spiralling arms. What’s amazing is that there are many thousands of galaxies in the Universe, the average galaxy is said to be 100,000 light years across. Our Milky Way Galaxy is said to be amongst a super cluster consisting of 30 galaxies. WOW!

Today many people on Earth are unable to enjoy the infinite wonders of the nights sky due to light and atmospheric pollution. The best way to explore the night’s sky is to get out into the open plains well away from city lights, where you can see as many as 5 to 6 thousand stars on a good night.

Earth Sanctuary World Nature Centre in Central Australia has played host to many star tours since it began in the year 2000. It is one of the greatest star observation parks in the world offering insights into our Indigenous cultures. Our galactic guides hope to see you there one day!

QUIZ 6: Indigenous Star Navigation & Survival

It’s time to go galactic! Did you know that it takes a light beam over 4 years to reach the nearest star? That’s travelling at about 300,000 kms per second. I wonder if there’s any other Earths out there? Our galaxy is so vast and mysterious that it would be lonely to think that we are the only life forms that exist in the whole Universe! Here’s your next quiz! Remember, most of the answers can be found in the previous section but some questions may require you to search your local universe or you can ask a friend to beam you up!

1. Name all the planets in Earth's solar system?

2. What is the name of the path in which the Sun traces through the sky?

3. Why has star watching become increasingly difficult, especially in the cities?

4. How does the Earth’s tilt alter our seasons?

5. What is the name of the constellation found on the Australian flag?

6. What is the name of our home galaxy?

7. How does our Moon effect life on Earth?

8. Can you name some ancient cultures who frequently used the sky to determine things such as time, direction and when to find food?

9. How many astronauts are said to have landed on the moon between 1969 and 1972 & name their mission?

10.The zodiac is a Greek word meaning circle of animals. Can you name 3 constellations within the zodiac?

The image above has been used in space craft and on satellites as a symbolic gesture to extra-terrestial life forms. The image attempts to describe the human race as peaceful, intelligent and aware. Now it’s your chance to use symbols and create an image below that would tell other life forms who and what we are on planet Earth.