Marcel Griaule, a French anthropolgist, in 1947 whilst in West Africa was told by the Dogon tribe about two suns orbiting Sirius. The tribe explained to Marcel that the Earth revolved on axis whilst orbiting the sun in eliptical orbits as do the other planets within our solar system. They understood the moon to be waterless and barren and that jupiter had rings around it. The Dogon tribe knew the galaxy to be a spiral galaxy of stars. They had stated that Sirius B was a dense dwarf star which orbited the mother star once every 50 years. The second star, in orbit, they had described was one quarter the density of sirius B and known to the Dogon as Emme yen (the sun of women)
A letter from the Superior of the White Fathers in Mali confirmed in a letter that no missionaries had vistied the Dogon tribe before 1949.
Astronomers at the time had known about sirius B orbiting sirius since early in the 20th century however they had not known about the second sun.
In 1995 two astronomers found pertubations in the Sirius system that could be explained by the existence of a third sun. The third sun described would have to be 0.05 % of the sirius B star. It is so small that it cannot be seen. Scientists are in argument as to whether it is actually there.
How did the Dogon tribe, a group of hill-dwelling people, know about all this? The tribe explained the 'Nommo', who were 'mermaid-like' amphibian creatures, had described the universe to the ancient babylonian and egyptian societies, who were, the forefathers of the dogon. A picture produced by the Dogon leader resembled pictures drawn in egypt of 'mermaid-like' creatures. The amphibians according to the Dogon could only suvive out of water for brief periods of time.
The Nommo apparently came to earth amid flame and thunder, a mere 8 million light years distance, in order to explain the mysteries of the universe.
This author finds this story to be an interesting tale of the unexplained.
"I for one welcome our new amphibian overlords..." Kent Brockman