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Chinese Astronomy

中国天文学

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Ancient Chinese Astronomy

Unlike the Babylonians, the Chinese were meticulous in separating the roles of Astronomer and Astrologer

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Astronomers were responsible for charting the stars, predicting starts of months, and lunar eclipses (or you got killed!)

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Astrologers were responsible for omens (similar to their Babylonian counterparts)

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Ancient Chinese Astronomy...

Because of their "attention to detail" and respect for previous research, astronomy in China is continuous for thousands of years from about ~3000 BC to the present

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Unlike western astronomy with lots of "gaps" due to plagues, wars, conquests, etc.

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When the rest of the world went through the "Dark Ages" Chinese astronomy was blooming

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The First "Famous" Astronomers

Wu Xian 巫咸 

    (Shang Dynasty ~1600-1000 BC)

    The first "main" ancient Chinese astronomer

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Gan De  甘德

    ~400-300 BC

    Discovered a moon around Jupiter with his naked eye

    Accurate observations of 5 of the planets

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Shi Shen 石申 

    ~400-300 BC

    Along with Gan De, created star charts of the night sky

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Astronomy as timekeeping

One of the major purposes for Astronomy in China was to keep time

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New Dynasties in China would strike to improve on previous calendars

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As a new dynasty took over, the astronomers and astrologers would work meticulously to make observations to create a new Chinese calendar

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(this is one reason for an unbroken line of record keeping for thousands of years)

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Some interesting notes

Ancient Chinese astronomers divided the circle into 365.25 degrees - exactly the amount of days in a year

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First observation of a solar eclipse was in China 

(2136 BC)

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Constellations

4 Regions

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Azure Dragon

Black Tortoise

White Tiger

Vermilion Bird

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28 Mansions

Based on Moon

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Chinese Zodiac

12 regions, similar to 

Babylonian Zodiac