Depictions of the Milky Way found in ancient Egyptian imagery

Ancient Egyptians drew the Milky Way on coffins and tombs, linking them to sky goddess, study finds

A new study links the Egyptian goddess Nut with the Milky Way galaxy.

Earliest Milky Way Depiction Found in Coffin Art of Egyptian Sky Goddess Nut

Depiction of the ancient Egyptian goddess Nut swallowing the sun. Credit: Hans Bernhard. CC BY 3.0/Wikimedia Commons/Hans Bernhard A new study suggests that ancient Egyptians may have captured the Milky Way in their artwork more than 3,000 years ago, potentially offering our galaxy’s earliest-known visual representation. Astrophysicist Or Graur, an associate professor at the University of Portsmouth, identified a striking visual detail of the Mi…

These 5000-year-old Egyptian coffins depict the Milky Way galaxy, astrophysicist says

A recent study on ancient Egyptian imagery suggests rare drawings of the sky goddess Nut represent the earliest visualization of the Milky Way galaxy's Great Rift.

Sky Goddess Depictions Show Ancient Egyptians Were Aware of the Milky Way

Artistic depictions of the Ancient Egyptian god Nut reveal an awareness of the Milky Way galaxy.

Tomb art suggests Egyptian sky goddess wore the Milky Way galaxy

The deities of ancient Egypt oversaw virtually every aspect of existence, with gods and goddesses representing mundane daily activities all the way up to the cosmos itself. But the sky-goddess Nut (pronounced “Noot”) had one of the most important roles. Nut literally stood over her earth god brother, Geb, protecting him from the void’s floodwaters. She also was pivotal to the solar cycle, swallowing the sun at dusk only to rebirth it every morni…

Milky Way’s Great Rift Identified In 5,000-Year-Old Ancient Egyptian Coffin Drawings

The ancient Egyptians may have conceptualized the Milky Way in the same way as Native Americans.