Apus in Chinese astronomy

The modern constellation Apus 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 prior to 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 as one of the 23 Southern Asterisms (近南極星區, Jìnnánjíxīngōu) under the name Exotic Bird (異雀, Yìquè).

The name of the western constellation in modern Chinese is 天燕座 (tiān yàn zuò), meaning "the heaven swallow constellation".

Stars edit

The map of Chinese constellation in constellation Apus 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) 異雀 Yìquè Exotic Bird
ζ Aps[2] 異雀一 Yìquèyī 1st star
ι Aps[2] 異雀二 Yìquèèr 2nd star
β Aps[2] 異雀三 Yìquèsān 3rd star
γ Aps[2] 異雀四 Yìquèsì 4th star
δ1 Aps[2] 異雀六 Yìquèliù 6th star
η Aps[2] 異雀七 Yìquèqī 7th star
α Aps[2] 異雀八 Yìquèbā 8th star
ε Aps[2] 異雀九 Yìquèjiǔ 9th star
三角形[3] Sānjiǎoxíng Triangle
κ¹ Aps 三角形增三 Sānjiǎoxíngzēngsān 3rd additional star
κ² Aps 三角形增四 Sānjiǎoxíngzēngsì 4th additional star

See also edit

References edit

  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. ^ a b c d e f g h (in Chinese) AEEA (Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy) 天文教育資訊網 2006 年 7 月 29 日
  3. ^ this is not original Chinese name in this constellation and listing is only for additional stars

External links edit