File:ChineseCelestialGlobe.jpg

Summary[edit]

Replica of a Celestial Globe from Qing Dynasty of China.

This picture is taken in July 2004 from an exhibition at Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, California.

The plaque at this exhibit said:
Celestial Globe, Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 CE), Replica
This globe includes observations by both Chinese and Western astronomers. It's one example of how Eastern and Western science blended after the Jesuit missionaries came to China.
A New Kind of Globe Built in 1673 CE under the direction of Ferdinand Verbiest, this is the first celestial globe in China to include stars that can be seen from the southern hemisphere as well as stars visible from China in the northern hemisphere.

Mapping the Heavens
Ancient Chinese astronomers measured and charted the positions of stars. They used their star charts to predict astronomical events and to teach young emperors about the heavens.
The Earliest Charts
The earliest known Chinese star chart, created over 1,600 years ago, was based on star catalogs made by three astronomers nearly 600 years earlier.
A Spherical Chart
By the fifth century CE, the Chinese made a star chart on the surface of a sphere, called a celestial globe. Rotating the sphere around its poles let astronomers demonstrate and calculate star positions even when they couldn't see the stars in the sky.

Source: english wikipedia, original upload 12 July 2004 by Kowloonese en:Image:ChineseCelestialGlobe.jpg

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