1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910155302203321

Autore

Chadwick Stephen Robert

Titolo

The Great Canoes in the Sky [[electronic resource] ] : Starlore and Astronomy of the South Pacific / / by Stephen Robert Chadwick, Martin Paviour-Smith

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Cham : , : Springer International Publishing : , : Imprint : Springer, , 2017

Edizione

[1st ed. 2017.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (XVII, 233 p. 181 illus., 149 illus. in color.)

Disciplina

520

Soggetti

Astronomy

Observations, Astronomical

Astronomy—Observations

Cultural heritage

History

Popular Science in Astronomy

Astronomy, Observations and Techniques

Cultural Heritage

History of Science

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Sommario/riassunto

Presenting spectacular photographs of astronomical objects of the southern sky, all taken by author Stephen Chadwick, this book explores what peoples of the South Pacific see when they look up at the heavens and what they have done with this knowledge. From wives killing brothers to emus rising out of the desert and great canoes in the sky, this book offers the perfect blend of science, tradition and mythology to bring to life the most famous sights in the heavens above the southern hemisphere. The authors place this starlore in the context of contemporary understandings of astronomy. The night sky of southern societies is as rich in culture as it is in stars. Stories, myths and legends based on constellations, heavenly bodies and other night sky



phenomena have played a fundamental role in shaping the culture of pre-modern civilizations throughout the world. Such starlore continues to influence societies throughout the Pacific to this day, with cultures throughout the region – from Australia and New Zealand in the south to New Guinea and Micronesia in the north - using traditional cosmology as a means of interpreting various aspects of everyday life.