But that knowledge is now at risk. In many of our towns and cities, the stars are increasingly hidden<\/a> behind a haze of artificial light. And that light pollution<\/a> is threatening a unique way of understanding the world.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n A \u2018living classroom\u2019<\/p>\n The night sky is a living classroom, at once a calendar, map, lore book and weather forecast. <\/p>\n Indigenous Elders share this knowledge with younger people \u2013 often outdoors, on Country, beneath the stars.<\/p>\n They may start by talking about constellations, which have helped guide Indigenous Australians for millenia.<\/p>\n One example is the Wangel<\/a> or \u201clong-necked turtle\u201d constellation. Various Indigenous communities looked to this constellation, based on the bright orange star Pollux<\/a>, to know when it was time to travel and gather for different ceremonies. This may be because the bright orange star reflects the turtle\u2019s orange colouring. <\/p>\n The Wangel (long-necked turtle) constellation. Another is the Djurt or \u201cred-rumped parrot<\/a>\u201d constellation. This constellation is based on the Antares<\/a> star which appears bright red with a blue halo, resembling the parrot\u2019s red and blue feathers<\/a>. This constellation guided communities to spots where food was abundant, such as grasslands that were full of seeds. <\/p>\n Constellations also hold lore, or rules, that guide sustainable practices. For example, when the Otchocut or \u201cMurray cod<\/a>\u201d constellation appears in the night sky, we do not hunt Murray Cod. This is because it becomes visible when the rivers are warm and the fish are breeding<\/a>, typically between October to November. Similarly, when the red-rumped parrot constellation appears, that means the parrot is breeding and therefore cannot be hunted.<\/p>\n The stars may also provide weather forecasts, but only if you have the knowledge and observation skills to understand them. For example, a star that twinkles and appears bright blue suggests a storm is coming. And if a cluster of stars twinkle quickly, it may mean the wind will become stronger.<\/p>\n The Otchocut (Murray cod) constellation. Stars and songlines<\/p>\n The routes laid out by the stars are often connected to songlines<\/a>. Songlines, sometimes known as dreaming tracks, are cultural pathways that connect traditional sites. Songlines also act as \u201cdrop pins\u201d that indicate where important resources, such as waterholes and food, may be.<\/p>\n A well-known example is the Seven Sisters<\/a> dreamtime story, which recounts the journey of seven sisters that ultimately become part of the Taurus<\/a> constellation. For some Indigenous communities in central Australia, the Seven Sisters serve as a kind of celestial map. This is because the seven stars roughly mirror the location of seven waterholes.<\/p>\n The threat of light<\/p>\n As our cities grow, light pollution from streetlights, floodlights and buildings is spreading<\/a>. As a result, it\u2019s increasingly rare<\/a> to see dark nights and starry skies near urban areas. <\/p>\n For Indigenous communities, this has a direct cultural impact. <\/p>\n Light pollution makes it near impossible to connect with the stars, and therefore share Indigenous sky knowledge with younger generations. <\/p>\n Microbats are an important Barapa Barapa men\u2019s totem. Light pollution also affects culturally important species. In Barapa Barapa culture, the microbat<\/a> is a men\u2019s totem and the nightjar<\/a> is a women\u2019s totem. Both are nocturnal animals that rely on darkness, so artificial light makes it harder for them to survive.<\/p>\n Beyond culture, light pollution has widespread ecological impacts<\/a>, affecting how animals grow, behave and breed. Research suggests light pollution can stop clownfish eggs<\/a> from hatching, shrink the brains<\/a> of spiders and disorient threatened seabirds<\/a> such as petrels and shearwaters. <\/p>\n It can also negatively affect human health. Research shows artificial light \u2013 particularly from LED lights<\/a> and electronic devices \u2013 may trigger sleep and mood disorders<\/a> and certain cardiovascular problems<\/a>.<\/p>\n The nocturnal Nightjar is an important Barapa Barapa women\u2019s totem. So, what can we do?<\/p>\n The good news is, we can each help reduce<\/a> light pollution by making simple lifestyle changes. Here are some ideas:<\/p>\n turn off outdoor lights whenever you\u2019re not using them We can also better regulate the use of artificial light outdoors. Currently, Australia does not have any regulations<\/a> around light pollution. But countries such as France have substantially reduced<\/a> their light pollution levels by regulating what kind of lighting people can use and install. <\/p>\n Together, stronger regulation and simple lifestyle tweaks could help us tackle light pollution. And that\u2019s key to keeping Indigenous sky knowledge alive.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Kai Lane talks about Indigenous astronomy and the harm caused by light pollution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I\u2019m a proud Yorta Yorta and Barapa Barapa man, an Indigenous astronomer and a trainee ecologist. When I…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":680410,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[64,63,128,285],"class_list":["post-680409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-science","tag-space"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/680409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=680409"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/680409\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/680410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=680409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=680409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=680409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Stars](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/file-20260501-71-c35ljf.JPG\")
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\n Habitat Warriors, CC BY<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Stars](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/file-20260501-57-srbx5s.JPG\")
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\n Habitat Warriors, CC BY<\/a><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/file-20260429-57-9eydhg.jpg\")
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\n Chris Lindorff \/iNaturalist<\/a>, CC BY<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/file-20260429-57-rpg05n.jpg\")
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\n DH Fischer\/iNaturalist<\/a>, CC BY<\/a><\/p>\n
\nuse lightbulbs with a lower brightness and warmer colouring
\nchoose light designs that direct light only where its needed
\nclose curtains and blinds at night to stop indoor light from spilling out
\nduring festive times<\/a> such as Christmas<\/a>, opt for daytime decorations instead of outdoor lights.<\/p>\n