Cheonsang Yeolcha Bunyajido
Encyclopedia
Cheonsang Yeolcha Bunyajido is a 14th century Korea
n star map, copies of which were spread nationwide in the Joseon Dynasty
. The name is sometimes translated as "chart of the constellations and the regions they govern."
King
Taejo
ordered royal astronomer
s to carve the constellation
s on a flat black stone in December 1395. The stone size was about 122.5 width x 211 height
x 12 depth cm. The engraved stone shows 1,467 stars, 264 constellations and their names, the ecliptic
and equatorial lines, and 365 scales around. It was compiled through a combination of a Goguryeo
star map with more recent observations.
The map showed positions of the heavenly bodies
in their natural order and allocated on their respective celestial fields. Its map projection law is found to be the polar equatorial and equidistance projection : the linear distance of an object on the map from the center is linearly proportional
to the north polar angular distance.
The epoch of the stellar positions is estimated to be near the 1st century for the stars with declination less than 50 degrees, and to be near 1395 A.D
for stars with declination
higher than 50 degrees.
This map became standard during the Joseon dynasty
, with numerous copies printed and disseminated throughout the kingdom, until it was superseded by Western planispheres in the 19th century.
The map is the 228th national treasure of South Korea, and is kept in the Korean Royal Museum in Seoul
.
The map is now used as a background image on the reverse of the 2007 issued 10,000 won
banknotes.
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n star map, copies of which were spread nationwide in the Joseon Dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
. The name is sometimes translated as "chart of the constellations and the regions they govern."
King
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
Taejo
Taejo of Joseon
Taejo of Joseon , born Yi Seong-gye, whose changed name is Yi Dan, was the founder and the first king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, and the main figure in overthrowing the Goryeo Dynasty...
ordered royal astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
s to carve the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
s on a flat black stone in December 1395. The stone size was about 122.5 width x 211 height
Height
Height is the measurement of vertical distance, but has two meanings in common use. It can either indicate how "tall" something is, or how "high up" it is. For example "The height of the building is 50 m" or "The height of the airplane is 10,000 m"...
x 12 depth cm. The engraved stone shows 1,467 stars, 264 constellations and their names, the ecliptic
Ecliptic
The ecliptic is the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun. In more accurate terms, it is the intersection of the celestial sphere with the ecliptic plane, which is the geometric plane containing the mean orbit of the Earth around the Sun...
and equatorial lines, and 365 scales around. It was compiled through a combination of a Goguryeo
Goguryeo
Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....
star map with more recent observations.
The map showed positions of the heavenly bodies
Heavenly Body
is a yaoi manga anthology by Takashi Kanzaki and published by Daitosha. It is licensed in English by Aurora Publishing, which released the manga in August 2008.-Reception:...
in their natural order and allocated on their respective celestial fields. Its map projection law is found to be the polar equatorial and equidistance projection : the linear distance of an object on the map from the center is linearly proportional
Proportionality (mathematics)
In mathematics, two variable quantities are proportional if one of them is always the product of the other and a constant quantity, called the coefficient of proportionality or proportionality constant. In other words, are proportional if the ratio \tfrac yx is constant. We also say that one...
to the north polar angular distance.
The epoch of the stellar positions is estimated to be near the 1st century for the stars with declination less than 50 degrees, and to be near 1395 A.D
Anno Domini
and Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
for stars with declination
Declination
In astronomy, declination is one of the two coordinates of the equatorial coordinate system, the other being either right ascension or hour angle. Declination in astronomy is comparable to geographic latitude, but projected onto the celestial sphere. Declination is measured in degrees north and...
higher than 50 degrees.
This map became standard during the Joseon dynasty
Joseon Dynasty
Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...
, with numerous copies printed and disseminated throughout the kingdom, until it was superseded by Western planispheres in the 19th century.
The map is the 228th national treasure of South Korea, and is kept in the Korean Royal Museum in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
.
The map is now used as a background image on the reverse of the 2007 issued 10,000 won
South Korean won
The won is the currency of South Korea. A single won is divided into 100 jeon, the monetary subunit. The jeon is no longer used for everyday transactions, and appears only in foreign exchange rates...
banknotes.
See also
- Yi Soon-Jee famous Korean astronomer during the Joseon dynasty,
- Chil Jong-San, Korean scholar credited with having calculated the positions of five major planets and solar-lunar eclipses
- AstrologyAstrologyAstrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...