Northern Pole
Encyclopedia
Northern Pole is a traditional Chinese asterism found in the Purple Forbidden enclosure
(紫微垣 in Simplified Chinese, zǐ wēi yuán in Pinyin
). It consists of five stars found in the modern constellations of Ursa Minor
and Camelopardalis
and represents the five stars of the North Pole. During the Qing dynasty
, a total of four stars from the constellation Ursa Minor
was added to the asterism.
Purple Forbidden enclosure
The Purple Forbidden enclosure is one of the San Yuan or Three enclosures. Stars and constellations of this group lie near the north celestial pole and visible all year from temperate latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere.-Asterisms:The asterisms are :...
(紫微垣 in Simplified Chinese, zǐ wēi yuán in Pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
). It consists of five stars found in the modern constellations of Ursa Minor
Ursa Minor
Ursa Minor , also known as the Little Bear, is a constellation in the northern sky. Like the Great Bear, the tail of the Little Bear may also be seen as the handle of a ladle, whence the name Little Dipper...
and Camelopardalis
Camelopardalis
Camelopardalis is a large but faint constellation in the northern sky. The constellation was introduced in 1612 by Petrus Plancius. Some older astronomy books give an alternative spelling of the name, Camelopardus.-Etymology:...
and represents the five stars of the North Pole. During the Qing dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
, a total of four stars from the constellation Ursa Minor
Ursa Minor
Ursa Minor , also known as the Little Bear, is a constellation in the northern sky. Like the Great Bear, the tail of the Little Bear may also be seen as the handle of a ladle, whence the name Little Dipper...
was added to the asterism.
| Order | English name | Chinese name | Corresponding star |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (北极一) | The Crown Prince | 太子 | Gamma Ursae Minoris Gamma Ursae Minoris Gamma Ursae Minoris is a slightly variable star in the constellation Ursa Minor. It also has the common name Pherkad. Together with Beta Ursae Minoris, Gamma forms the end of the dipper pan of the "Little Dipper"... (Pherkad) |
| 2 (北极二) | The Emperor | 帝 | Beta Ursae Minoris Beta Ursae Minoris Beta Ursae Minoris is the second brightest star in the bowl of the "Little Dipper,"the constellation Ursa Minor. It has the traditional name Kochab. Kochab's magnitude is 2.07. It is 16 degrees from Polaris. The star is an orange giant and is 126.4 ± 2.5 light years from Earth. It is 130 times... (Kochab) |
| 3 (北极三) | The Son of Concubine | 庶子 | 5 Ursae Minoris |
| 3+1 (庶子增一) | The Son of Concubine | 庶子 | unclear, in Ursa Minor Ursa Minor Ursa Minor , also known as the Little Bear, is a constellation in the northern sky. Like the Great Bear, the tail of the Little Bear may also be seen as the handle of a ladle, whence the name Little Dipper... |
| 3+2 (庶子增二) | The Son of Concubine | 庶子 | 3 Ursae Minoris |
| 3+3 (庶子增三) | The Son of Concubine | 庶子 | 10 Ursae Minoris |
| 4 (北极四) | The Concubine | 后宫 | 4 Ursae Minoris |
| 4+1 (后宫增一) | The Concubine | 后宫 | unclear, in Ursa Minor Ursa Minor Ursa Minor , also known as the Little Bear, is a constellation in the northern sky. Like the Great Bear, the tail of the Little Bear may also be seen as the handle of a ladle, whence the name Little Dipper... |
| 5 (北极五) | The Celestial Pivot | 天枢 | Struve 1694 Struve 1694 Struve 1694 is a star in the constellation Camelopardalis.Σ 1694 is a double star, with components of magnitudes 5.3m and 5.9m. Primary, Σ 1694 A is a white A-type subgiant with an apparent magnitude of 5.28m. It is approximately 300 light years from Earth. Secondary, Σ 1694 B is a... (in Camelopardalis Camelopardalis Camelopardalis is a large but faint constellation in the northern sky. The constellation was introduced in 1612 by Petrus Plancius. Some older astronomy books give an alternative spelling of the name, Camelopardus.-Etymology:... ) |