Equipment and innovation Chinese astronomy

1 equipment , innovation

1.1 armillary sphere (渾儀)
1.2 abridged armilla (簡儀)
1.3 celestial globe (渾象) before qing dynasty
1.4 celestial globe (天體儀) in qing dynasty
1.5 water-powered armillary sphere , celestial globe tower (水運儀象台)
1.6 true north , planetary motion

equipment , innovation
armillary sphere (渾儀)

a method of making observation instruments @ times of qing dynasty

the earliest development of armillary sphere in china goes 1st century bce., equipped primitive single-ring armillary instrument. have allowed them measure north polar distance (去極度, chinese form of declination) , measurement gave position in hsiu (入宿度, chinese form of right ascension).

during western han dynasty (202 bc-9 ad), additional developments made astronomers luo xiahong (落下閎), xiangyu wangren, , geng shouchang (耿壽昌) advanced use of armillary in stage of evolution. in 52 bc, astronomer geng shou-chang introduced fixed equatorial ring armillary sphere. in subsequent eastern han dynasty (23-220  ad) period, astronomers fu , jia kui added elliptical ring 84 ad. famous statesman, astronomer, , inventor zhang heng (78-139 ad), sphere totally completed in 125 ad, horizon , meridian rings. of great importance note world s first hydraulic (i.e., water-powered) armillary sphere created zhang heng, operated use of inflow clepsydra clock (see zhang s article more detail).

abridged armilla (簡儀)

designed famous astronomer guo shoujing in 1276 ad, solved problems found in armillary spheres @ time.

the primary structure of abridged armilla contains 2 large rings perpendicular each other, of 1 parallel equatorial plane , accordingly called equatorial ring , , other double ring perpendicular center of equatorial ring, revolving around metallic shaft, , called right ascension double ring .

the double ring holds within sighting tube crosshairs. when observing, astronomers aim @ star sighting tube, whereupon star s position deciphered observing dials of equatorial ring , right ascension double ring.

a foreign missionary melted instrument in 1715 ad. surviving 1 built in 1437 ad , taken germany. stored in french embassy in 1900, during eight-nation alliance. under pressure of international public discontent, germany returned instrument china. in 1933, placed in purple mountain observatory, prevented being destroyed in japanese invasion. in 1980s, had become eroded , rusted down , destroyed. in order restore device, nanjing government spent 11 months repair it.

celestial globe (渾象) before qing dynasty

celestial globe qing dynasty

besides star maps, chinese made celestial globes, show stars positions star map , can present sky @ specific time. because of chinese name, confused armillary sphere, 1 word different in chinese (渾象 vs. 渾儀).

according records, first celestial globe made geng shou-chang (耿壽昌) between 70 bc , 50 bc. in ming dynasty, celestial globe @ time huge globe, showing 28 mansions, celestial equator , ecliptic. none of them have survived.

celestial globe (天體儀) in qing dynasty

celestial globes named 天體儀 ( miriam celestial bodies ) in qing dynasty. 1 in beijing ancient observatory made belgian missionary ferdinand verbiest (南懷仁) in 1673 ad. unlike other chinese celestial globes, employs 360 degrees rather 365.24 degrees (which standard in ancient china). first chinese globe shows constellations near celestial south pole.

the water-powered armillary sphere , celestial globe tower (水運儀象台)

the inventor of hydraulic-powered armillary sphere zhang heng (78-139 ad) of han dynasty. zhang known brilliant applications of mechanical gears, 1 of impressive inventions (alongside seismograph detect cardinal direction of earthquakes struck hundreds of miles away).

started su song (蘇頌) , colleagues in 1086 ad , finished in 1092 ad, large astronomical clock tower featured armillary sphere (渾儀), celestial globe (渾象) , mechanical chronograph. operated escapement mechanism , earliest known chain drive. however, 35 years later, invading jurchen army dismantled tower in 1127 ad upon taking capital of kaifeng. armillary sphere part brought beijing, yet tower never reinstated, not su song s son.

fortunately, 2 versions of su song s treatise written on clock tower have survived ages, studying astronomical clock tower made possible through medieval texts.

true north , planetary motion

the polymath chinese scientist shen kuo (1031–1095) not first in history describe magnetic-needle compass, made more accurate measurement of distance between pole star , true north used navigation. shen achieved making nightly astronomical observations along colleague wei pu, using shen s improved design of wider sighting tube fixed observe pole star indefinitely. along pole star, shen kuo , wei pu established project of nightly astronomical observation on period of 5 successive years, intensive work rival later work of tycho brahe in europe. shen kuo , wei pu charted exact coordinates of planets on star map project , created theories of planetary motion, including retrograde motion.