Of the hundreds of distinct Aboriginal cultures of Australia, many have oral
traditions rich in descriptions and explanations of comets, meteors,
meteorites, airbursts, impact events, and impact craters. These views generally
attribute these phenomena to spirits, death, and bad omens. There are also many
traditions that describe the formation of meteorite craters as well as impact
events that are not known to Western science.Comment: Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in
Non-Western Cultures, 2014. Edited by Helaine Selin. Springer Netherland