1994
On the constellations of Shi Shen's astronomical school during the Han dynasty
Publication
Publication
Stud. Hist. Natural Sci. , Volume 13 - Issue 2 p. 123- 138
In this paper we present a study on the constellations of the star catalogue of Shi Shi Xing Jing (Shi's Classic on Stars) found in Kai Yuan Zhan Jing (Kaiyuan Classic on Astrology) from the Tang Dynasty. Our first step was to determine the observation time of the star catalogue. The Fourier analysis of the star catalogue gave a date of 78 BC. In view of the historical background of that time, we conclude that the stars in the catalogue of Shi Shi Xing Jing were observed by Xianyu Wanren and his group of 22 astronomers during the years from 78 to 76 BC. As a second step, we tried to identify the 120 constellations of this catalogue, and produced a computer-aided star map as a first reconstruction of the real Chinese sky during the Han Dynasty.
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Xiaochun, S., Shuren, B., & Kistemaker, J. (1994). On the constellations of Shi Shen's astronomical school during the Han dynasty. Stud. Hist. Natural Sci., 13(2), 123–138. |
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