Ancient Chinese Astronomy Issues - Essay Example

Ancient Chinese Astronomy Introduction When we talk of the heavenly bodies and the Chinese culture, the first that comes into mind is astrology, a study of the association of patterns of heavenly bodies with human living and luck. However, only few people know that the Chinese people are the first to write spectacular and significant astronomical observations. Observing the Heavenly Bodies: The Stars, the Moon and the Sun It is believed that astronomy in China began with the observation of the sun and the stars during the Neolithic Age when the ancient Chinese have learned to live in settlements and tried to record their everyday living. Recovered pots which were found to be 5000 years old have the sun decorations on it. Observing the night skies could have also been used by the ancient Chinese as a guide like how travellers depend on the North Star. Earliest records of stars were found carved on bones and shells. One very significant record made by ancient Chinese astronomers was that of a solar eclipse in 2136 BC, the first human record of a solar eclipse in the world found encrypted on a bone. In 2006, a stone carving of what is believed to be the Big Dipper was found by Wu Jiaca in Inner Mongolia and is predicted to have been carved in 4000 BC. The position of the carving was on the north side of the stone, pointing to the direction of the said constellation. Carvings and maps of the stars by ancient Chinese astronomers were found by some European at Dunhuang, a major resting place before travelling into the western deserts. It was speculated that the maps were used by the travellers to guide them along the Silk Road. The maps dated to 700 AD and contain 1,350 stars arranged in the manner on how one sees the horizon. The oldest star map known in Chinese history dates back to the Warring States Period (403-211 BC). It was made by Shi Shen and was already been missing. Other maps were at the Ancient Beijing Observatory and the International Dunhuang Project of the British Library. The long years of watching the moon, stars and the sun by the ancient Chinese astronomers led to the birth of the Chinese calendar. Observation of the sun, the moon and the stars is very important in predicting the reoccurrence of an event. The first Chinese calendar was said to be lunisolar or based on both the lunar and the solar cycles. The Huangdi Li, Zhuanxu Li, Xia Li, Yin Li, Zhou Li, and Lu Li were some of the earliest formal calendars accepted. There was an estimated 102 Chinese calendars that have been developed and revised from the Xia dynasty (2070-1600 BC) to the Qing Dynasty (1645-1911) until finally the Chinese calendar evolved into a lunar calendar with twelve months and calculated it to be 365.25 days long. And to mark the passage of time and the season, the orientation of the Big Dipper relative to the pole star in early morning was observed by the Chinese. They divided the day into 100 equal parts with the use of the first clock, the water clock known as clepsydras. In 1054, the Chinese astronomers made yet another important discovery in the heavens they called the ‘guest star’ which according to Space Today Online (STO) “it was described to have appeared suddenly in the sky near the Moon and a star, so bright that it was visible in the daylight”. STO also reported that a Chinese document described it "in the 1st year of the period Chih-ho, the 5th moon, the day chi-chou, a guest star appeared... After more than a year it gradually became invisible..." The said star was found to be a supernova that had evolved into an oval shaped expanding cloud now known as the Crab Nebula. Observing the Heavenly Bodies: Comets Records of appearance of comets have started during the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC). During the Han period, a silk book was written showing illustrations of the comet showing different shapes and characteristics of the head (core) and the tail of the comet. There were also 360 citations of comets that were made from the Yin period of the Shang Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. It was noted in the observation made in 635 BC of this period that comet tail always pointed away from the sun. Towards the end of the Qing Dynasty, there were around 30 observations of a certain comet that was once described in the Spring and Autumn Annals in 613 BC as a comet that enters the Big Dipper in 620 BC. It was later found out that the comet was Halley’s Comet. The Earth and the Solar System In Chinese cosmology, there were three theories that have been developed by ancient astronomers. All believed that the heavens is round. The first theory, known as Gai Tian, says that the Earh is square or a cube. The second theory compares the universe to an egg, with the Earth as its center was proposed by Zhang Heng. This theory is known as Hun Tian. The last theory, Xuan Ye, states that all heavenly bodies float in space. Since cosmology is not very much studied by ancient Chinese, the Hun Tian is accepted by the ancient Chinese. Observatories To facilitate the observation of the heavens, construction of observatories and planetariums was implemented. The first planetarium was made by Chinese. Constrauction of observatories were said to have started in 2300 BC. In 1279 during the Yuan Dynasty an observatory was also constructed and there has been a commission that was formed to finish and produce instruments for the observatory. In 1385, the Ming Dynasty has erected a new observatory at Nanjing after its victory over the Yuan. During the rule of Zhengtong, the Ancient Beijing Observatory was built at the corner of the old city wall. It is a 46 feet high flat form that held eight Qing dynasty bronze astronomical instruments. Summary and Conclusion Chinese astronomy has contributed much to the development of the science but heir genius in the field is little known. What is known more is Chinese astrology and divination or prediction of what will happen in the future. Eclipses and other cosmic phenomenon in the ancient times are used as signs or omens, either good or bad. This short research essay is an eye opener to what is known in the field of ancient aastronomy. References and Works Cited: Shea, M. “Chinese Astronomy.” China Experience. May 2007. http://hua.umf.maine.edu/China/astronomy/index.html#22. 1 April 2010. Sivin, N. Granting the Seasons: The Chinese Astronomical Reform of 1280, With a Study of its Many Dimensions and an Annotated Translation of its Records. 2009. Reviewed by: JW Dauben. 31 December 2009. http://www.maa.org/maa%20reviews/0119102.html. 1 April 2010 Space Today Online. “Chinese Astronomy.” China in Space. 2005. http://www.spacetoday.org/China/ChinaAstronomy.html. 1 April 2010. StarTech Astronomy Education. “Ancient Chinese Astronomy,” 2007. http://www.starteachastronomy.com/chinese.html. 1 April 2010. Roby, J. “Discoveries and accomplishments of ancient Chinese Astronomy”. Astronomy for Kids Online. 2005. http://www.astronomy-for-kids-online.com/ancientchineseastronomy.html. 1 April 2010 Read More