Ancient Chinese Astronomy Unveil the mysteries

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Ancient Chinese Astronomy - Unveil the mysteries
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• Kai Cai
• Oct.4, 2002

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Chinese Astronomy

• Calendars /Almanac near 100 almanacs
• Constellation system
• Records of conspicuous events guest stars,
  sunspots, eclipses, etc
• Instruments

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Constellation System

• 28 xu lodges of Sun, moon, planets
• Near ecliptic and celestial equator
• East (grey) dragon, West (white) tiger, North
  (black) tortoise snake, South (red) Phoenix
• 3 yuan 3 sky regions around Polaris
• Archeology 4 patterns appeared in early Han
  dynasty (no later than 100 BC).
• Star catalog (270AD by Chen Zhuo) 1464 stars in
  total, 283 constellations (groups of stars).

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Astrology

• Ancient Astronomy study of ? (heaven)
• Sky patterns predict major political and military
  events signs of the heaven
• Often ominous
• Astronomy forbidden in public
• Constellations areas/provinces
• Configurations of planets
• Comets, other events

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Royal astronomers and Observatories

• Royal astronomers might not be interested in
  astronomy
• Tasks take records of events compile star
  charts Edit calendars /almanac instrument
  maintenance
• Main contents of the almanacs motions of the
  Sun, moon and five planets
• Often got killed during dynasty change
• Famous astronomers lunar craters
• e,.g. see http//lunar.arc.nasa.gov/science/atlas
  /text/cratertex_c.html for Chang Heng

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Systematic records of events

• Halleys Comet
• Earliest 613 BC by Zuo Zhuan
• Complete record thru 1910 (29 times)
• Eclipses
• Sunspots
• Novae SNe e.g.Crab

A drawing of Han dynasty http//dbs.bao.ac.cn/cas/
pic/old3.gif
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Theories cosmological models

• Mainly relation between heaven and Earth
• Huntian (?) Sky and Earth are like an egg --
  by Zhang Heng, later become the standard
• Gai (cover) ? Sky is round, Earth is a square
  (cube)
• Xuan Ye all celestial objects are floating in
  empty space
• Description/Computation algebraic approach, no
  geometry

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Cross-cultural Communications

• Early Indian Astronomy (came with Buddhism)
• The beginning of (personal) astrology
  (horoscope)
• Islamic astronomers came to China late 13th
  century (1300AD)
• Western Astronomy input around 1600s
• Qing dynasty calendar completely based on
  western astronomy

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Instruments

• Hun Yi (armilla) invented in Han dynasty (104
  BC) used to measure coordinates of astronomical
  objects
• Abridged armilla (early 14th century) by Guo
  Shoujing
• Bronze shadow scale determine winter solstice,
  length of a year, etc.
• Poly-vascular inflow clepsydra a time-keeping
  device
• Huntian Yi to simulate the sky pattern

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Pictures

• 28 xu http//www.phys.ncku.edu.tw/astrolab/e_boo
  k/history_c/images/constel_28.jpg
• Su Zhou Star chart (planisphere)
• http//www.phys.ncku.edu.tw/astrolab/e_book/histo
  ry_c/images/soocho_star_map.jpg
• Famous astronomers http//dbs.bao.ac.cn/cas/pic/s
  tamp.gif
• Instruments see http//dbs.bao.ac.cn/cas/chi.ht
  ml (some)

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Some useful references

• http//www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200111/27/11271
  09.htm
• http//web.syr.edu/bjing/calendar.htm
• http//www.scivis.com/AC/hist/chinacity.html
• http//homepages.primex.co.uk/sproston/sstar9.htm
  
• History of China Chronology
• See http//www.chinatoday.com/history/history.htm