Emu Dreaming

Astronomy is more than just stories – it means a quest to understand the patterns in the sky and the motion and eclipses of the Sun, Moon and planets. So our goal is to understand the importance of astronomy in Aboriginal Cultures, and ultimately perhaps answer the question “Were the Australian Aboriginal people the world’s first astronomers?”

Author Biography

Ray Norris is a British and Australian astrophysicist whose day-job is to use international telescopes to figure out how galaxies formed and evolved. In his spare time he researches the astronomy of Aboriginal Australians, and is an Adjunct Professor at the Macquarie University Dept. of Indigenous Studies (Warawara). As well as over 250 professional publications, he frequently appears on radio and TV, and performs in a stage show called “The First Astronomers”. For relaxation, he walks the moors of Dartmoor and the Australian bush, and writes. Cilla Norris has been an artist, high school teacher, veterinary nurse, wildlife sanctuary guide, and wild-life carer. As well as working with Ray on Aboriginal Astronomy, she is known as an authority on the care and rehabilitation of Australian wildlife, and writes and teaches about possums.