‘Betelguise’ by Barbara Merritt (Australia). “I painted this because the constellation is bright and I like the colours in that constellation after learning about it.”

“Jupiter and 10 Moons” by Barbara Merritt (Australia). “I painted this after hearing that Jupiter has 10 moons because when I looked through the telescope I could see at least 2 moons on each side. This inspired me.”

“Coma Berenices” by Charmaine Green (Australia). “After talking and spending time with the scientists I want to look at other constellations. The story behind Coma Berenices caught my attention because of the relationship to the importance of the hair to the night sky. In our culture hair is not to be cut at night.”

“Venus” by Kevin Merritt (Australia). “This is the story of the beautiful morning star, Venus. I was inspired by [astrophysicist] Ray Norris on a field trip to Boolardy Station, at the site. We were walking around at 4 oclock on a dark morning to catch a glimpse of the ‘Morning Star Rope’ phenomenon, which at certain times of the year appeared. Ray Norris excitedly explained how it appeared. So this is the painting to depict what actually occurs.”

“Emu in the Sky” by Margaret Whitehurst (Australia). “The Emu in the Sky represents the time to go looking for emu eggs and it was special to us because our parents – my mum especially – couldn’t wait for emu egg to bake us a special fresh emu egg cake.”

“Emu in the Sky, 2” by Kyle Pickett (Australia). “When the Yallabirri (emu) appears in the sky in preparation for the laying of the eggs.”

“Lacerta” by Margaret Whitehurst (Australia). “This constellation made me think of a sound wave from space and the symbol of the constellation. I was intrigued”

“Hydra” by Nerolie Blurton (Australia). “This constellation is related to Hydra.”

“The Girl Who Made the Stars” by First People Artists of the Bethesda Arts Centre (South Africa). “A girl of the early times was hungry and cross in her confinement hut during her first menses. She was not allowed to gather food for herself, and had to rely on the |huin roots her mother brought her. Nor was she allowed to be seen by the young hunters, or eat their meat, in case their arrows should grow cold and their hunting fail. The pressure inside her grew and grew till she flung the wood ashes from her fire into the sky: ‘You who are wood ashes, you will altogether become the Milky Way, and sail through the sky, following your footprints, so people coming home by night can see their way.’

“Creation of the Milky Way” by the First People Artists of the Bethesda Arts Centre (South Africa). “The girl who made stars gazed at the night sky and was full of wonder. Power came through her as she thought about new life being created in her body, and the stars treading their path through the sky as they should. She saw how the sky lay still, but the stars were the ones who moved, sailing along their path. Darkness comes out, darkness is upon the ground. The stars, at first white, wax red. They feel that turning, they follow the sun. The |huin roots are stars. The people are stars. The Milky Way gently glows, lighting up the ground.”

“Creation of the Sun” by the First People Artists of the Bethesda Arts Centre (South Africa). “In the early times, the Sun was asleep in his house, shining for himself alone. The Earth was cold and dark. The mothers couldn’t dry the ant-larvae to eat so they were hungry, and the people were cold. Then the old woman gathered the children together: ‘My children, creep up to that old man the sun while he is sleeping. Creep up to that old Sun Armpit, and fling him into the sky, so that the earth can be warm for us, so that all the world will be bright.’

“Creation of the Sun” by the First People Artists of the Bethesda Arts Centre (South Africa). “In the early times, the Sun was asleep in his house, shining for himself alone. The Earth was cold and dark. The mothers couldn’t dry the ant-larvae to eat so they were hungry, and the people were cold. Then the old woman gathered the children together: ‘My children, creep up to that old man the sun while he is sleeping. Creep up to that old Sun Armpit, and fling him into the sky, so that the earth can be warm for us, so that all the world will be bright.’

“Mantis, Baboons and the Red Hartebeest” by the First People Artists of the Bethesda Arts Centre (South Africa). “Mantis, called Kaggen, is a celestial trickster figure in Xam mythology. In the three Mantis stories depicted here, first he takes the form of a Red Hartebeest, and lies down, pretending to be dead where excited children find him and cut him up for food. The Hartebeest head, carried by the smallest child, winks at her. It whispers: ‘Loose the thong from my eye so I can see where we’re going.’ In terror she drops it on the ground. ‘Oh my poor head, oh bad little person,’ says the dead hartebeest. The children flee in terror. Mantis resurrects and transforms into an old man. Next, Baboons kill Mantis’ son, Gaunu Tsaxau, (son of Gaunu, the Great Star) and play ball with his eye. Mantis throws the eye into the sky, hides it in his bag, puts it into the spring where it grows again into his living child. Finally Mantis, having created darkness, throws his shoe up into the sky, where it transforms and becomes the Moon walking its path in the sky.”