Octans in Chinese astronomy

The modern constellation Octans is not included in the Three Enclosures and Twenty-Eight Mansions system of traditional Chinese uranography because its stars are too far south for observers in China to know about them before the introduction of Western star charts. Based on the work of Xu Guangqi and the German Jesuit missionary Johann Adam Schall von Bell in the late Ming Dynasty,[1] this constellation has been classified under the 23 Southern Asterisms (近南極星區, Jìnnánjíxīngōu) with the names Snake's Tail (蛇尾, Shéwěi) and Exotic Bird (異雀, Yìquè).

The name of the western constellation in modern Chinese is 南極座 (nán jí zuò), meaning "the south pole constellation".

Stars

The map of Chinese constellation in constellation Octans area consists of:

Four Symbols Mansion (Chinese name) Romanization Translation Asterisms (Chinese name) Romanization Translation Western star name Chinese star name Romanization Translation
- 近南極星區 (non-mansions) Jìnnánjíxīngōu (non-mansions) The Southern Asterisms (non-mansions) 蛇尾 Shéwěi Snake's Tail
γ1 Oct[2]蛇尾一Shéwěiyī1st star
β Oct[2]蛇尾二Shéwěièr2nd star
α Oct[2]蛇尾三Shéwěisān3rd star
異雀YìquèExotic Birdδ Oct[3]異雀五Yìquèwǔ5th star

See also

References
  1. Sun, Xiaochun (1997). Helaine Selin (ed.). Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Kluwer Academic Publishers. p. 910. ISBN 0-7923-4066-3.
  2. (in Chinese) AEEA (Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy) 天文教育資訊網 2006 年 7 月 27 日
  3. (in Chinese) AEEA (Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy) 天文教育資訊網 2006 年 7 月 29 日
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