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The Natural Astronomy Scientist of Africa

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The Dogon People who are Naturally Specialize in Astronomy

The Dogon people is a community of people living in present-day Mali. Their original point of migration to their present locale is not known, however, some scholars have traced their ancestry to the ancient Egyptian empire. They are about 300,000 in population occupying about 700 villages with an average of about 500 inhabitants per village.

The Dogon people possesses a rich oral history and knowledge of astronomy, and this dates as far back as 3200 BC. According to the oral literature of the Dogon tribe, the star named; ‘Sirius A’ (the brightest star in the night sky with a bluish tinge) has an invisible companion star scientists have named ‘Sirius B’. This companion star is not only invisible to the naked eye but also completes a trip around ‘Sirius A’ every 50 years.