The Soochow Astronomical Chart
1947; Nature Portfolio; Volume: 160; Issue: 4061 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1038/160279b0
ISSN1476-4687
Autores Tópico(s)History and Developments in Astronomy
ResumoTHIS chart and the text appearing with it constitute instructions for an Emperor and were prepared in A.D. 1193 and engraved in stone in 1247. More than thirty years before they were engraved the capital had been moved from Peking to Kai-Feng Fu, in Honan, but in 1267 Peking was restored as the capital. We are informed in the text that before the Great Absolute had unfolded itself the three primal essences, heaven, earth, and man, were involved within it. The Great Absolute evolves into the sun and the moon, divides into the five planets, arranges in order as the twenty-eight mansions, and meets to form the directors (the Plough) and the circumpolar stars. In the description of the sky the equator is called the Red Road, the ecliptic the Yellow Road, the moon's path the White Road, and the Milky Way the River of Heaven. The planets are the essences of the five elements—wood, fire, earth, metal and water—these elements constituting the planets Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus, and Mercury, respectively. A description of the star map, the purpose of which is astrological rather than astronomical, is given on pp. 8–10. The asterisms follow the traditional oriental pattern—terrestrial beings personified, especially the Emperor, his court, and numerous officials, which differ from the predominant mythical heroes of the West, including supernatural or superhuman personages.
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