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.
