Astronomy References
Last update: 6 Aug 2025
Whether you're just beginning your journey into astronomy or looking to deepen your knowledge, this guide offers a curated list of resources tailored for the Australian night sky, hand-picked by out teams. From practical stargazing guides to cultural and scientific insights, you'll find books, software, and talks to inspire your exploration of the cosmos.
Books
Stargazing Guides & Sky Atlases - to find what you want when you’re looking at the sky
The Southern Sky Guide, David Ellyard and Wil Tiriom
Atlas of the Southern Night Sky, Steve Massey, Steve Quirk
Secrets of Stargazing, Becky Ramotowski
Getting started with telescopes & binoculars
Orion Binocular Astronomy Field Guide
Stargazing basics, Paul E. Kinzer
Eclipses
Eclipse Chasers, Nick Lomb, Toner Stevenson
Cosmology
A Fortunate Universe, Luke Barnes & Lewis Geraint
European Constellation names & stories
Ancient Skies, David Weston Marshall
A Dictionary of Modern Star names, Paul Kunitzsch, Tim Smart
Prehistory & History of Astronomy
Beyond the Night, Stuart Clark
Skywatchers, Shamans & Kings, Krupp
Archaeoastronomy
Celestial Geometry, Ken Taylor
For kids
Sky Gazing, Meg Thacher
Night Sky, Rola Shaw
You can get most books from Bintel. There exists thousands of books about more specialised topics like the Moon, planets, exoplanets, asteroids & comets, stellar evolution, galaxy formations and evolution, physics, exobiology, the conquest of space and so on. For these ones you’ll have to shop around!
Apps & Softwares
We highly command and recommend Stellarium, a free open-source sky map, extremely complete and displaying the sky in more than 30 culture. Instant web version. The Stellarium app is also available on your phone for a small fee.
All other star-mapping apps using GPS are valid and are often based on the same catalogs.
Networks
US-based network for revitalising Indigenous Astronomy
Australian Aboriginal Astronomy
To Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders people, Elders, Uncles & Aunties, friends, please note that the following links, books and talks contain references to Sky Country, culture and sacred places.
Talks
The Story and Traditional Use of the Emu in the Sky by Wiradjuri Astronomer Kirsten Banks:
65,000 yrs - The Great History of Australian Aboriginal Astronomy | Kirsten Banks | TEDxYouth@Sydney (Emu in the Sky)
Under One Sky: our Humanity in the Stars | Dimitri Douchin | TEDxKatoomba
Books
First Knowledge Series: Astronomy, Karlie Noon, Krystal de Napoli
Dark Sparklers, Hugh Cairns, Bill Yidumduma Harney
The First Astronomers, Duane Hamacher with Elders and Knowledge Holders
Emu Dreaming, Ray Norris, Cilla Norris
Sand Talk, Tyson Yunkaporta
Blog
Australian Indigenous Astronomy
A compilation of many academic research articles and other material on the topic of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Astronomy.
PhD Thesis
The Astronomy and Songline Connections of the Saltwater Aboriginal Peoples of the New South Wales coast, Bob Fuller
Movies
We don’t need a map, Warwick Thornton