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Over time, our understanding of what space is has changed. As more and more discoveries are made, we have enlarged our understanding of just what space is. The way we view outer space today is certainly different from the past. In this activity, you will learn about different historical perspectives on Earth and space.

As long as there have been people on Earth, the objects that are visible in the sky have held our attention. The sun, the moon, other stars, planets, comets, meteor showers, and the aurora borealis have been a source of wonder. They have been used to tell the passage of time and the change in the seasons. Knowledge about them was passed on from generation to generation and from one culture to another. A lot of the time, this was presented as legends and folklore.

For thousands of years people have associated objects in the sky, the Earth, and aspects of their physical world with the gods and goddesses of their cultures. Let's take a look at some of the different perspectives on the nature of Earth and space from different cultures.

Indigenous Views

"Anishinabe" means "the people" in the Algonquin language. The Ojibway people of Canada who live in northwestern Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan use the word to refer to themselves.

Sky stories of the Anishinabe are part of a complex system of spiritual beliefs. Knowledge of the stars is found in many aspects of culture including storytelling, symbolism, and religious traditions.

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Some spiritual leaders have special knowledge of the stars and the planets. In ancient times, these Indigenous astronomers used this knowledge to help guide the day-to-day affairs of their communities.

The Anishinabe have been given ways of communicating with the powerful heavenly forces. The oral teachings and stories that flow out of this communication have been passed down from generation to generation since the beginning of time. For example, one of the most powerful symbols for the life force is the sun. The need for its presence for survival is stressed in the ancient story called "Snaring the Sun."

Click here to read the ancient story "Snaring the Sun."

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In the Anishinabe culture, only the "stargazers" — some of whom are known as the "Wabeno-innin," the "Morning Star Men" or "The Men of the Dawn" — are privileged to have a full knowledge of the sky world. Much of their knowledge is sacred in nature and is used only under special circumstances associated with religious matters.

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Chinese Zodiac

Chinese Views

The Chinese people tended to use astronomy for practical purposes from the very beginning. However, they did develop an extensive system of the zodiac designed to help guide the life of people on Earth. Their version of the zodiac was called the "yellow path," a reference to the sun travelling along the ecliptic.

In order to mark the passage of time and the seasons, the Chinese primarily used the orientation of the Big Dipper constellation relative to the pole star in the early evening. They were also the inventors of the first clock, a water clock that divided a day into 100 equal parts.

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Australian Indigenous Views

Australian Indigenous culture has its own astronomy with its own stories and traditions, which has survived for over 60,000 years, making it the oldest astronomy-using culture in the world.

Indigenous culture is very diverse with over 400 different language groups in different regions of Australia. Different cultural groups have formed their own explanations of the sky, and these have different meanings and importance. While not every story is the same across the country, some stories are common to many different Indigenous groups.

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Many have stories of a female sun who warmed the land and a male moon who was once a young slim man (the waxing crescent moon) but grew fat and lazy (the full moon). But then he broke the law, and was attacked by his people, resulting in his death (the new moon). After remaining dead for three days, he rose again to repeat the cycle, and continues doing so till this day.

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Greek Views

Originally, the Greeks had very little interest in astronomy and only had a very simple understanding of the universe and how it worked. To them, the only use of understanding the stars and planets was for a guide to help you find your way. However, the great Greek philosophers started to wonder what was out in space and what made the sun rise and set every day. These questions inspired several Greeks, a few of whom were actually the philosophers, who then began to study the skies and make many new discoveries.

During these first years, as more astronomers were appearing in Greece, they all started to centre their work around the idea that time should be based on the sun, moon, and stars. They created different calendars with varying lengths of months and years, trying to find one that would stay in phase with the sun and the seasons.

In addition to designing calendars, the Greeks found a lot of interest in watching the stars and locating patterns in them. These constellations that they found were almost always based on one of their myths.

One Greek constellation that you may have heard of is Orion, who was a handsome hunter according to Greek mythology. Orion is one of the brightest constellations, and it can be seen from all most anywhere in the world. The Greek astronomers alone charted over half of the constellations known today.

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Self-Check

Try This!

Click here to go to a website that talks about the myths of the sun, the Earth, and the moon. Look around the site and click on the sun, the Earth, and the moon links on the left-hand side (under Mythology).