Aboriginal traditions record eclipses and variable stars

The paper documents sky knowledge maintained through oral tradition, ceremony, art and practice.

Some Aboriginal traditions identify forms in the dark lanes of the Milky Way rather than only connecting bright stars.

Rising stars, lunar phases and other observations help time ecological and community activities.

Careful observation and transmission can be rigorous even when knowledge is not stored in books or institutions.

The authors compare written colonial sources, oral traditions and astronomical calculations to identify observational knowledge.

Stars and their rising or setting positions can mark directions, travel routes and seasonal change.

Researchers need to respect community authority, restricted knowledge and the harms created when outsiders extract cultural information.

The observatory logged a millionth science exposure while searching for water in an exoplanet atmosphere.

The target was the hot gas giant HAT-P-7b, observed for atmospheric signatures.

The milestone reflects decades of research by many teams using the orbiting observatory.