In ancient Egypt, the sky goddess Nut represented the Milky Way. With her arms and spine she exactly indicated its winter and summer orientation.
This is demonstrated by the study published in the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage by the astrophysicist Or Graur of the University of Portsmouth, in the United Kingdom. The study revealed that in winter the luminous band of the galaxy follows the outstretched arms of the goddess Nut, while in summer she traces her spine in the celestial vault. In Finland and the Baltics it was regarded as a bird path. Some peoples of North America and central, for example, they defined it as the backbone of the universe and saw it as a spirit road. The role attributed to Nut in the passage of the deceased into the afterlife and its link with the annual migration of birds is in line with the way in which other cultures considered the Milkyway. The study was published by the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, on behalf of the University of Portsmouth.