The Burunh Program
Publications

Papers

Why space exploration must not be left to a few powerful nations

Timiebe Aganaba, Adam Fish, Duane Hamacher, Alvin Harvey, D. Joinbee, A. Milligan, C. Ojani, Deondre Smiles, Peter Swanton, Hilding Neilson, and Brad Tucker

Nature, Vol. 641, pp. 1098−1100., 2025.

Celestial Harmonies of Sky Country in Australia and Oceania

Duane Hamacher, Gerhard Wiesenfeldt and Rachel Morgain

In Harmony of the Spheres: Ancient and Modern Perspectives, edited by Ken Parry and Dean Rickles. Bloomsbury Press (in press), 2026.

The Role of Astronomy in Australian Indigenous Knowledge

Ray Norris, Robert Fuller, Duane Hamacher, Trevor Leaman, and Ghillar Michael Anderson

In Oxford Handbook of Global Indigenous Archae-

ologies, edited by Claire Smith, Dorothy Lippert, Sally May, Alok Kumar Kanungo, Kellie Pollard,

and Sandra Lopez Varela. Oxford University Press, Chapter 18. 2026.

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The Art of Star Knowledge

Duane Hamacher

In 65,000 Years: a Short History of Australian Art, edited by Marcia Langton and Judith Ryan. Thames & Hudson, pp. 323−331., 2025.

Research Frameworks in Indigenous Astronomy

Duane Hamacher and Martin Nakata

In Indigenous Knowledge: Australian Perspectives, edited by Marcia Langton, Aaron Corn, and Samuel Curkpatrick. Melbourne University Press, pp. 46−57, 2025.

Indigenous Astronomy at the University of Melbourne

Duane Hamacher, Amanda Goldfarb, Bridget Kelly, and Emma Barnett

In Dhoombak Goobgoowana: A History of Indigenous Australia and the University of Melbourne, Volume 1: Truth, edited by Ross Jones, James Waghorne, and Marcia Langton. Melbourne University Publishing, pp. 341–347., 2024.

Recognising Indigenous Knowledge when naming meteorite craters: an Australian case study

Duane Hamacher

Australian Studies Journal (Zeitschrift fur Australienstudien), Vol. 39, pp. 67–88, 2024

Winner of the first biennial Publication Award by the German Association for Australian Studies

Astronomy, Rigour and Rock Art

Duane Hamacher

Journal of Skyscape Archaeology, Vol. 9(2), pp. 252–258, 2024

Visual Perception Principles in Constellation Creation

Bridget Kelly, Charles Kemp, Daniel Little, Duane Hamacher and Simon Cropper

Topics in Cognitive Science, Vol. 2024, pp. 1-13, 2024

The Archaeology of Orality: Dating Aboriginal Tasmanian Oral Traditions to the Late-Pleistocene

Duane Hamacher, Patrick Nunn, Michelle Gantevoort, Rebe Taylor, Greg Lehman, Andrew Law, and Mel Miles

Journal of Archaeological Science, Vol. 159, 105819, 2023.

World Developments: Australasian and Oceanic Cultures

Martin Bush and Duane Hamacher

In A Cultural History of the Universe in the Age of Enlightenment. Vol 4, edited by Clifford Cunningham. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2026.

The Astronomy of the Aboriginal Peoples of the Sydney Basin

Robert Fuller and Duane Hamacher

In From Radio Astronomy to Ethnoastronomy: Essays in Honour of Wayne Orchiston, edited

by Steven Gullberg and Peter Robertson. Springer Press, pp. 635–659, 2023.

Using the Significant Horizons methodology to determine potential astronomical use of Aboriginal stone arrangements.

Trevor Leaman and Duane Hamacher

In From Radio Astronomy to Ethnoastronomy: Essays in Honour of Wayne Orchiston, edited by Steven Gullberg and Peter Robertson. Springer Press, pp. 661–679, 2023.

Safeguarding Indigenous sky rights from colonial exploitation

Karlie Noon, Krystal De Napoli, Peter Swanton, Carla Guedes, and Duane Hamacher

In Handbook on Social Studies of Outer Space, edited by Juan Francisco Salazar and Alice Gorman. Routledge, pp. 235−248, 2023.

Solar Eclipses in First Nations Traditions

Duane Hamacher and Ghillar Michael Anderson

In Eclipse Chasers: total solar eclipses in Australia, by Nick Lomb and Toner Stevenson. CSIRO Publishing, pp. 12–25, 2023.

The First Astronomers: How Indigenous Elders Read the Stars

Duane Hamacher with Elders & Knowledge Holders

Allen & Unwin., 2022.

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Comparing constellations across cultures

Charles Kemp, Duane Hamacher, Daniel Little and Simon Cropper

Nature Astronomy, Vol. 6, pp. 406–409, 2022.

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Perceptual Grouping Explains Similarities in Constellations Across Cultures

Charles Kemp, Duane Hamacher, Daniel Little and Simon Cropper

Psychological Science, Vol. 33(3), pp. 354–363, 2022.

Best Practices and Protocols for Including Indigenous Astronomy in the Planetarium Setting

Annette Lee, Nancy Maryboy, David Begay, Wilfred Buck, Yasmin Catricheo, Duane Hamacher, Jarita Holbrook, Kaiu Kimura, Carola Knockwood, Te Kahuratai Moko-Painting and Milagros Varguez

Proceedings of the International Planetarium Society, Vol. 25, pp. 69–77, 2021.

Whitening the Sky: light pollution as a form of cultural genocide

Duane Hamacher, Krystal De Napoli and Bon Mott

arXiv (Physics), DOI: 10.48550/arXiv.2001.11527, 2020

A Cultural Comparison of Dark Constellations of the Milky Way

Steve Gullberg, Duane Hamacher, Alejandro Martin-Lopez, Javier Mejuto, Andy Munro, and Wayne Orchiston

Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, Vol. 23(2), pp. 390–404, 2020.

Historical Novae and Supernovae

A. Pagnotta, Duane Hamacher, K. Tanabe, Virginia Trimble and N. Vogt

Proceedings of IAU Symposium A30, Vol. 14, pp. 171–175, 2020.

Native American Traditions of Meteor Crater, Arizona: Fact, Fiction, or Appropriation?

Duane Hamacher

Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, Vol. 23(2), pp. 375–389, 2020.

Solstice and solar position

observations in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditions

Duane Hamacher, Trevor Leaman, Robert Fuller and David Bosun

Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, Vol. 23(1), pp. 89–99, 2019.

The Planets in Indigenous Australian Traditions

Duane Hamacher and Kirsten Banks

In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Planetary Science, edited by Peter Read. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019, DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190647926.013.53

Baiami and the emu chase: an astronomical interpretation of a Wiradjuri Dreaming associated with the Burbung.

Trevor Leaman and Duane Hamacher

Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, Vol. 22(2), pp. 243–255, 2019

Indigenous use of stellar scintillation for predicting weather and seasonal change

Duane Hamacher, John Barsa, Ron Day, Segar Passi and Alo Tapim

Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, Vol. 131(1), pp. 24–33, 2019.

The Burunh Program Publications

The Burunh Program
Publications