The star Sirius, in Canis Major, is at the centre of their mythology. They knew that it is not one star, but two. Sirius is one of the foci of the orbit of a tiny Digitaria, which is an ellipse. The star orbits Sirius once in 100 years. It is the heaviest object in the sky, consisting of a metal called sagala. The people also state that there is a third Sirius member.
The earth rotates around the Sun. Jupiter has four satellites. Saturn has rings. The planets travel around the Sun in elliptical orbits.
Those who have heard this account question how the Dogon obtained these facts, which they could not have received through observation with the unaided eye. Some people are very skeptical, believing that it had to have been told to them by others. There are numerous theories, none of which have been proven to be correct, most of them being refuted.
