Pavo in Chinese astronomy

The modern constellation Pavo 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 Peacock (孔雀, Kǒngqiāo).

Peacock (Alpha Pavonis) is the brightmest star in this constellation. It is never seen in the Chinese sky.

The name of the western constellation in modern Chinese is 孔雀座 (kǒng què zuò), which means "the peacock constellation".

Stars edit

The map of Chinese constellation in constellation Pavo 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) 孔雀 Kǒngqiāo Peacock
η Pav[2] 孔雀一 Kǒngqiāoyī 1st star
π Pav[2] 孔雀二 Kǒngqiāoèr 2nd star
ν Pav[2] 孔雀三 Kǒngqiāosān 3rd star
λ Pav[2] 孔雀四 Kǒngqiāosì 4th star
κ Pav[2] 孔雀五 Kǒngqiāowu 5th star
δ Pav[2] 孔雀六 Kǒngqiāoliù 6th star
β Pav[2] 孔雀七 Kǒngqiāoqī 7th star
ζ Pav[2] 孔雀八 Kǒngqiāobā 8th star
ε Pav[2] 孔雀九 Kǒngqiāojiǔ 9th star
γ Pav[2] 孔雀十 Kǒngqiāoshí 10th star
α Pav[2] 孔雀十一 Kǒngqiāoshíyī 11th star
HD 172555 孔雀增一 Kǒngqiāozēngyī 1st additional star
ξ Pav 孔雀增二 Kǒngqiāozēngèr 2nd additional star
ω Pav 孔雀增三 Kǒngqiāozēngsān 3rd 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 i j k (in Chinese) AEEA (Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy) 天文教育資訊網 2006 年 7 月 30 日

External links edit