New Zealand Solar Eclipse - Limited Edition of 5 Print

Originals follow the Giclee printing process and are meticulously handcrafted and hand-stretched over a kiln-dried timber frame. Ready to hang and display. For thousands of years, indigenous groups throughout Australia have watched the night sky, using the motions of the sun, moon, and stars to make sense of natural cycles in the world around them. But while they had a fairly sophisticated understanding of the movements of celestial bodies, rare and unexpected events, such as the appearance of a comet or eclipse, sometimes caused fear and panic. Astronomer Duane Hamacher, a PhD candidate at Macquarie University, and CSIRO astrophysicist Ray Norris, analysed 50 historic Aboriginal accounts of lunar and solar eclipses to gain an insight into how Australia's first people understood the phenomenon. They found that for many communities, eclipses heralded a frightening change that interrupted the harmony of an otherwise predictable and consistent cosmos. "Eclipses were typically feared and associated with evil magic, bad omens or death - not just with indigenous peoples but even in European history, they were seen as omens, for example that a civilisation might fall," says Duane. "According to Herodotus, in 585 BCE a total solar eclipse occurred during a battle between the Lydians and Medes in what is now Turkey. They saw this event as a divine sign, stopped fighting, and made peace." Duane hopes his research paper, published in the July edition of the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, will also dispel the myth that indigenous Australians knew little about the motions of the cosmos.

Print:Giclee on Fine Art Paper

Size:10 W x 10 H x 0.1 D in

Size with Frame:15.25 W x 15.25 H x 1.2 D in

Delivery Time:Typically 5-7 business days for domestic shipments, 10-14 business days for international shipments.