Cultural Astronomy

Total solar eclipses, while foreseeable, are rare and special—and shocking to be seen firsthand. Cultures have long created stories to explain the jarring phenomenon of the Sun’s daytime disappearance. 

Many of these stories are about animals or demons trying to eat the Sun. The earliest word for an eclipse in ancient China literally meant “to eat.” 
 

Nearly all people and cultures that experienced auroras have their own stories to interpret them. 

In Australia, Aboriginal peoples see the lights as fires set by ancestors or gods. The Gunai nation in southern Australia see them as omens of catastrophe.

In some Algonquin traditions, the northern lights are an eternal flame set by Nanahbozho, the creator of Earth, to serve as a reminder that he is always thinking of his people.
 

People hundreds or thousands of miles apart looked up at the same cluster of stars, some shining brighter than the rest, and told stories to explain the phenomenon. 

Many of these narratives, developed separately, are rooted in the same idea: Seven sisters, traveling together, avoiding the unwanted advances of a man. 
 

The Babylonians called this planet Nabu. 

Because of its position in the sky, usually on the horizon in the morning or evening, many cultures identified Venus as two separate objects. It is often referred to as the Morning or Evening Star.

Ancient Egyptian astronomers recorded the motion of Mars across the sky.

The Babylonians called it Marduk. The Greeks referred to the celestial body as Zeus. The Romans gave it the name we use today.

Ancient Chinese and Japanese cultures observed Saturn. When classifying everything into one of five natural elements (wood, water, fire, earth, and metal), astronomers considered Saturn made of "earth."