Chinese star constellations
The Chinese star constellations ( Chinese 星 官 , Pinyin xīngguān ) indicate the order of the stars according to Chinese astronomy . These designate regions of the sky that differ greatly from the IAU constellations that are common in astronomy today.
The sky mapping
The early Chinese astronomers divided the night sky into 31 regions, including three areas ( 三 垣 , San Yuán - "three fences , three districts") and 28 residences ( 二十八宿 , Ershiba Xiù ). The three areas comprise the region of the sky around the north celestial pole and can be seen all year round. The 28 residences (Xiù) extend triangularly from the ecliptic to the celestial pole and are named after constellations in the zodiac . The Chinese star constellations are smaller than the western ones, the ecliptic alone is divided by the Chinese tradition into 28 xiù 宿 - "sleeping, resting place, hostel" 'residences', corresponding to the distance the moon travels per day.
(See: Chinese Zodiac Signs )
The Chinese came into contact with Sumerian astronomy around the second century BC , but could not gain much from its division into twelve (which is still handed down in the signs of the zodiac ): The Chinese constellations primarily reflect the course of the moon in a synodic lunar month , rather than the Sun in a solar year . One therefore speaks of the "28 lunar stations". They are more similar to the Indian Nakshatras system, but which is used to calculate a 27-day sidereal lunar calendar .
The three areas and 28 residences are divided into 283 constellations . Every visible star belongs to one of these constellations, some of which consist of just one star. Traditionally, the name of a star consists of the name of its constellation and a number - this is similar to modern astronomical nomenclature.
The three areas
The three areas are the area of the imperial palace ( 紫微 垣 , Zĭwēiyuán ), the area of the highest palace ( 太微 垣 , Tàiwēiyuán ) and the area of the heavenly market ( 天 市 垣 , Tiānshìyuán ). The first area covers the whole north of the sky, from the point of view of the Chinese astrologers it is in its center. The second area is east and north, and the heavenly market area is west and south of this (Chinese) heavenly center.
The 28 residences
The 28 residences are assigned to the "four symbols" (= four cardinal points) (7 residences each). These symbols or four miracle animals 四象 , Sì Xiàng are:
- the "Blue Dragon of the East" , 東方 青龍 / 东方 青龙 , Dōngfāng Qīnglóng ,
- the "Red Bird of the South" , 南方 朱雀 , Nánfāng Zhūquè ,
- the "White Tiger of the West" 西方 白虎 , Xīfāng Báihǔ , and
- the “Black Turtle of the North” 北方 玄武 , Běifāng Xuánwǔ .
The "zodiac signs" known from the Chinese horoscope , the twelve branches of the earth , have no equivalent in the sky as constellations.
The names and the ruling stars are:
|
Four symbols Four wonder animals ( 四象 , Sì Xiàng ) |
Residences / moon stations ( 宿 ) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Name ( pinyin ) |
translation | Ruling star |
|
|
Blue Dragon of the East ( 東方 青龍 / 东方 青龙 , Dōngfāng Qīnglóng ) Spring |
||||
| 1 | 角 (Jiăo) | horn | α Vir | |
| 2 | 亢 (Kàng) | neck | κ Vir | |
| 3 | 氐 (Dĭ) | root | α Lib | |
| 4th | 房 (Fáng) | House | π Sco | |
| 5 | 心 (Xīn) | heart | σ Sco | |
| 6th | 尾 (Wěi) | tail | μ Sco | |
| 7th | 箕 (Jī) | Kornschwinge | γ Sgr | |
|
Black turtle of the north ( 北方 玄武 , Běifāng Xuánwǔ ) winter |
||||
| 8th | 斗 (Dǒu) | (Southern) wagon / ladle / ladle | φ Sgr | |
| 9 | 牛 (Niú) | Ox | β cap | |
| 10 | 女 (Nǚ) | girl | ε Aqr | |
| 11 | 虛 (Xū) | Empty | β Aqr | |
| 12 | 危 (Wēi) | Gable / house roof | α Aqr | |
| 13 | 室 (Shì) | Encampment | α peg | |
| 14th | 壁 (Bì) | Wall / cliff / steep face | γ peg | |
|
White Tiger of the West ( 西方 白虎 , Xīfāng Báihǔ ) autumn |
||||
| 15th | 奎 (Kuí) | Feet / legs | η and | |
| 16 | 婁 / 娄 (Lóu) | tape | β Ari | |
| 17th | 胃 (Wèi) | stomach | 35 ari | |
| 18th | 昴 (Mǎo) | Hairy head | 17 rope | |
| 19th | 畢 / 毕 (Bì) | network | ε tau | |
| 20th | 觜 (Zī) | Turtle beak | λ Ori | |
| 21st | 參 / 参 (Shēn) | Triumvirate | ζ Ori | |
|
Red bird of the south ( 南方 朱雀 , Nánfāng Zhūquè ) summer |
22nd | 井 (Jǐng) | Source (s) / fountain | μ acc |
| 23 | 鬼 (Guǐ) | Ghosts / dead souls | θ Cnc | |
| 24 | 柳 (Liǔ) | Willow tree | δ Hya | |
| 25th | 星 (Xīng) | Stars | α Hya | |
| 26th | 張 / 张 (Zhāng) | Spread out network | υ¹ Hya | |
| 27 | 翼 (Yì) | wing | α Crt | |
| 28 | 軫 / 轸 (Zhěn) | Chariot | γ Crv | |
Number of stars recorded
| Star zone 星 區 / 星 区 , xīngqū |
Star constellation (number) 星 官 數 / 星 官 数 , xīngguānshù |
Stars (number) 星 數 / 星 数 , xīngshù |
|---|---|---|
| 3 areas 三 垣 , Sān Yuán |
76 | 328 |
|
Blue Dragon of the East 東方 青龍 / 东方 青龙 , Dōngfāng Qīnglóng |
46 | 186 |
|
Black turtle of the north 北方 玄武 , Běifāng Xuánwǔ |
65 | 408 |
|
White tigers of the west 西方 白虎 , Xīfāng Báihǔ |
54 | 297 |
|
Red bird of the south 南方 朱雀 , Nánfāng Zhūquè |
42 | 245 |
| Southern starry sky 近 南極星 區 / 近 南极星 区 , jìn nánjíxīngqū |
23 | 130 |
| total | 306 | 1764 |
Chinese star map
The southern constellations
Since the sky around the southern celestial pole was unknown to the Chinese for a long time, it is not included in the system of three areas and 28 residences. At the end of the Ming Dynasty , Xu Guangqi introduced 23 new constellations based on western sky maps.
Star naming
Chinese astronomers systematically named the stars very early, more than 1000 years before Johann Bayer did this in a similar way. Each star was assigned to a constellation. Furthermore, each star of this constellation was assigned a number. The name of a star is composed as follows: constellation + number. However, the number of the star in the constellation does not - unlike the Bayer name - reflect the relative brightness of the star, but its position in the constellation.
For example, Altair means 河鼓 二 , Hégŭ Èr in Chinese . 河鼓 , Hégŭ means The Drum on the Yellow River , the name of the constellation. 二 , Èr is the Chinese character for the number two. Altair is the “second drum star on the river” in Chinese.
Some stars also have traditional names that are often related to mythology or astrology . Altair is better known in Chinese by the name 牛郎星 , Níulangxīng - "the cowherd's star" or 牽牛星 / 牵牛星 , Qiānníuxīng - "the cowherd's star", a name that comes from a mythical story of a cowherd and a weaver girl originates.
These terms are also used in modern Chinese astronomy. All English star designations for which traditional names exist are usually translated using these traditional names instead of the catalog names.
See also
- Chinese symbols
- Manazil al-Qamar (from there it is also worth taking a look at the Alemannic Wiki)
Web links
- English-Chinese Glossary of Chinese Star Regions, Asterisms and Star Names , Hong Kong Space Museum at www.lcsd.gov.hk (English / Chinese)
- Download of Chinese Star Maps (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Term "yuan - 垣". In: www.zdic.net. Accessed June 7, 2019 (Chinese, German, English).
- ↑ term "xiu -宿". In: www.zdic.net. Accessed June 7, 2019 (Chinese, German, English).
- ↑ term "Ziweiyuan -紫微垣". In: www.zdic.net. Retrieved June 7, 2019 (Chinese).
- ↑ term "Taiwei -太微". In: www.zdic.net. Retrieved June 7, 2019 (Chinese).
- ↑ term "Tianshiyuan -天市垣". In: www.zdic.net. Retrieved June 7, 2019 (Chinese).
- ^ The Chinese Sky . International Dunhuang Project . Archived from the original on November 4, 2015. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
- ↑ Xiaochun Sun: Helaine Selin (Ed.): Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures . Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1997, ISBN 0-7923-4066-3 (HB), p. 517 (accessed June 25, 2011).
