Have you ever looked up at the starry sky and wondered how the Universe began, and where doing this for many thousands of years. Some people have even made up stories about it. One such story was that the Earth was completely flat and surrounded by huge mountains.
The huge Pyramid of the Moon was built in Mexico around 2000 years ago. It was created by an ancient civilization that worshipped the sky and Nature.
Strange tales
In ancient Asia, people believed that the Earth was carried on the back of a giant tortoise. This picture shows the tortoise as the foundation of the Universe. The Earth is held up by elephants and the snake represents spaceStrange tales
One ancient Chinese legend tells us that the Universe began as a cosmic egg. A god called Pangu grew inside the egg and eventually split it apart. The shell’s upper half became the sky, while the tower half became the Earth. When Pangu died, parts of his body fell to the Earth and became the continents.
According to an ancient Maori legend from New Zealand, the goddess of the Earth and the god of the sky were once happily cuddled together. Their children grew tired of being squashed in the dark between them, so they struggled and pushed the pair apart. Rain is the tears of the sky god, and mist is the sighing breath of the Earth goddess.
Unlocking the secrets of the Universe
For hundreds of years, scientists have slowly built up a picture of how the Universe works. Their ideas have replaced ancient myths. For example, they discovered that our planet isn’t flat, but instead is a huge globe. People once thought that comets were disaster warnings, but in fact they are chunks of rock and ice that shine brightly when warmed by the Sun.