TY - JOUR
T1 - Comets in Australian Aboriginal astronomy
AU - Hamacher, Duane W.
AU - Norris, Ray P.
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - We present 25 accounts of comets from 40 Australian Aboriginal communities, citing both supernatural perceptions of comets and historical accounts of historically bright comets. Historical and ethnographic descriptions include the Great Comets of 1843, 1861, 1901, 1910, and 1927. We describe the perceptions of comets in Aboriginal societies and show that they are typically associated with fear, death, omens, malevolent spirits, and evil magic, consistent with many cultures around the world. We also provide a list of words for comets in 16 different Aboriginal languages.
AB - We present 25 accounts of comets from 40 Australian Aboriginal communities, citing both supernatural perceptions of comets and historical accounts of historically bright comets. Historical and ethnographic descriptions include the Great Comets of 1843, 1861, 1901, 1910, and 1927. We describe the perceptions of comets in Aboriginal societies and show that they are typically associated with fear, death, omens, malevolent spirits, and evil magic, consistent with many cultures around the world. We also provide a list of words for comets in 16 different Aboriginal languages.
UR - http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/545822
UR - http://www.narit.or.th/en/files/2011JAHHvol14/2011JAHH...14...31H.pdf
M3 - Article
SN - 1440-2807
VL - 14
SP - 31
EP - 40
JO - Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage
JF - Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage
IS - 1
ER -