The ancient Egyptian goddess of the sky: How a researcher used modern astronomy to explore her link with the Milky Way

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What did our ancestors think when they looked up at the night sky? All cultures ascribed special meaning to the sun and the moon, but what about the pearly band of light and shadow we call the Milky Way?

The ancient Egyptian goddess of the sky: How a researcher used modern astronomy to explore her link with the Milky Way

The Book of Nut described Nut's head and groin as the western and eastern horizons, respectively. It also described how she swallowed not only the sun but also a series of so-called"decanal" starsFrom this description, I concluded that Nut's head and groin had to be locked to the horizons so that she could give birth and later swallow the decanal stars as they rose and set throughout the night.

The ancient Egyptian texts also describe Nut as a ladder or as reaching out her arms to help guide the deceased up to the sky on their way to the afterlife. Many cultures around the world, such as the Lakota and Pawnee in North America and the Quiché Maya in Central America, see the Milky Way as a The Bas of the dead were free to leave and return to the netherworld as they wished. Nut is often shown standing in a sycamore tree and providing food and water to the deceased and their Ba.

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