ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Australian Aboriginal Astronomy Project

Hey kiddo,

Have you ever looked up at the sky and seen the stars, the moon, and maybe even some planets? Well, the Aboriginal people in Australia have been looking up at the sky and studying it for thousands of years!

They have a special project where they study the night sky, it's called the Australian Aboriginal Astronomy Project. This project is all about learning how the Aboriginal people used to use the stars for navigation (finding their way around), agricultural purposes, and for their culture and stories.

The Aboriginal people believe that the stars are actually their ancestors and they have special stories and meaning behind them. For example, the Orion's Belt (a group of stars that look like a belt) is called the 'Three Brothers' and it tells a story about three brothers who went hunting and ended up being turned into stars.

The project also looks at how the Aboriginal people used the stars to tell time and predict seasons. They would notice patterns in the stars and use them to know when to plant and harvest crops, and important events like the coming of the wet season.

Overall, the Australian Aboriginal Astronomy Project is about understanding how the Aboriginal people used their knowledge of the night sky to live, survive and thrive. It is important to keep this knowledge alive so that we can learn more about the history of the Aboriginal people and their amazing culture.