Chinese star maps (Chinese: s, t, xīngtú) are usually directional or graphical representations of Chinese astronomical alignments. Throughout the history of China, numerous star maps have been recorded. This page is intended to list or show the best available version of each star map. Star catalogs are also listed. For academic purposes, related star maps found in East Asia outside China are also listed.
| Map or catalog | Creator | Time created | Contents | links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M45 Fuxi Star Map (伏羲星图) | c. 4000 BC | Found on a mural in a Neolithic tomb in Xishuipo (西水坡), Puyang, Henan. Clam shells arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper in the North and below the foot, Tiger in the West and Azure Dragon in the East. Also showing Five Stars. | ||
| Wu Xian Star Map (商巫咸星圖) | c. 1000 BC | Contained 44 Central and Outer constellations totalling 141 stars | ||
| 5th century BC | Indicated location of Big Dipper and 28 Constellations by characters | [1] | ||
| Astronomic star observation (天文星占 Tianwen xingzhan) | 475-221 BC | Contained 75 Central Constellation and 42 Outer Constellations, some said 510 stars in 18 Constellations | ||
| Shi Shen astronomy (石申天文 Shi Shen Tianwen) aka. (石氏星经 Shi Shi Xing Jing) | c. 350 BC | 138 Constellations and the name of 810 stars, location of 121 stars, some said it contains The 28 Lunar Ecliptic Constellations, 62 Central Constellations and 30 Outer Constellations | ||
| Comet Diagrams from Mawangdui (彗星圖 Huixing Tu) | 193 BC | 29 different types of comets, also record and prediction of positions of Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus during 246–177 BC | - | |
| Five Star Prediction Device (安徽阜陽五星候占儀) | 168 BC | Also an Equatorial Device | ||
| Equatorial Armillary Sphere (赤道式渾儀) | Luo Xiahong (落下閎) | 104 BC | lost | reign of Emperor Wu of Han |
| Celestial Globe (渾象) (圓儀) | Geng Shouchang (耿壽昌) | 52 BC | lost | |
| First Ecliptic Armillary Sphere (黄道仪 Huang Dao Yi) | Jia Kui (贾逵) | 30–101 AD | - | - |
| Star chart from Western Han tomb mural in Luoyang (洛阳西汉墓壁画) | c. 1st century | Sun, Moon and ten other star charts | - | |
| Han Dynasty Nanyang Stone Engraving (河南南阳汉石刻画) (行雨图 Xing Yu Tu) | c. 1st century | Depicted five stars forming a cross | - | |
| Huntianyi seismometer (渾天儀) | 117 AD | - | - | |
| Sky Map (浑天图) and Hun Tian Yi Shuo (浑天仪说) | Lu Ji | 187–219 AD | - | - |
| Reproduced Hun Tian Yi (浑天仪) and wrote Hun Tian Xiang Shuo (浑天象说) | Wang Fan | 227–266 AD | - | - |
| Whole Sky Star Maps (全天星圖 Quan Tian Xing Tu) | Chen Zhuo (陳卓) | c. 270 AD | A Unified Constellation System. Star maps containing 1464 stars in 284 Constellations, written astrology text | - |
| Equatorial Armillary Sphere (渾儀 Hun Xi) | Kong Ting (孔挺) | 323 AD | - | - |
| Northern Wei Period Iron Armillary Sphere (鐵渾儀) | Hu Lan (斛蘭) | 436–440 AD | - | |
| Southern Dynasties Period Whole Sky Planetarium (渾天象Hun Tian Xiang) | Qian Lezhi (錢樂之) | 443 AD | Used red, black and white to differentiate stars from different star maps from Shi Shen, Gan De and Wu Xian | - |
| Northern Wei Grave Dome Star Map (河南洛陽北魏墓頂星圖) | 526 AD | About 300 stars, including the Big Dipper, some stars are linked by straight lines to form constellation. The Milky Way is also shown. | - | |
| Water-powered Planetarium (水力渾天儀) | Geng Xun (耿詢) | c. 7th century | - | - |
| Lingtai Miyuan (靈台秘苑) | Yu Jicai (庾季才) and Zhou Fen (周墳) | 604 AD | incorporated star maps from different sources | - |
| Tang Dynasty Whole Sky Ecliptic Armillary Sphere (渾天黃道儀) | Li Chunfeng (李淳風) | 667 AD | including Elliptic and Moon orbit, in addition to old equatorial design | - |
| 705–710 AD | 1,585 stars grouped into 257 clusters or "asterisms" | [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] | ||
| Turfan Tomb Star Mural (新疆吐鲁番阿斯塔那天文壁画) | 250–799 AD | 28 Constellations, Milkyway and Five Stars | [9] [10] | |
| Tang Dynasty | Picture of Fuxi and Nuwa together with some constellations | |||
| Tang Dynasty Armillary Sphere (唐代渾儀Tang Dai Hun Xi) (黃道遊儀Huang dao you xi) | 683–727 AD | based on Han Dynasty Celestial Globe, recalibrated locations of 150 stars, determined that stars are moving | - | |
| Tang Dynasty Indian Horoscope Chart (梵天火羅九曜) | 683–727 AD | simple diagrams of the 28 Constellation | [11] | |
| Kitora Kofun 法隆寺 キトラ古墳 in Japan | c. late 7th century – early 8th century | Detailed whole sky map | [12] [13] | |
| 713 AD – | Collection of the three old star charts from Shi Shen, Gan De and Wu Xian. One of the most renowned collection recognized academically. | - | ||
| Big Dipper (山東嘉祥武梁寺石刻北斗星) | – | showing stars in Big Dipper | [14] | |
| Prajvalonisa Vjrabhairava Padvinasa-sri-dharani Scroll found in Japan 熾盛光佛頂大威德銷災吉祥陀羅尼經卷首扉畫 | 972 AD | Chinese 28 Constellations and Western Zodiac | - | |
| Tangut Khara-Khoto Star Map (西夏黑水城星圖) | 940 AD | A typical Qian Lezhi Style Star Map | - | |
| Star Chart 五代吳越文穆王前元瓘墓石刻星象圖 | 941–960 AD | - | [15] | |
| Ancient Star Map 先天图 | Chen Tuan | c. 11th century | Perhaps based on studying of Puyong Ancient Star Map | Lost |
| Song Dynasty Bronze Armillary Sphere 北宋至道銅渾儀 | Han Xianfu (韓顯符) | 1006 | Similar to the Simplified Armillary by Kong Ting 孔挺, 晁崇 Chao Chong, 斛蘭 Hu Lan | - |
| Song Dynasty Bronze Armillary Sphere (北宋天文院黄道渾儀) | Shu Yijian (舒易簡), Yu Yuan (于渊), and Zhou Cong (周琮) | 宋皇祐年中 | Similar to the Armillary by Tang Dynasty Liang Lingzan and Yi Xing | - |
| Song Dynasty Armillary Sphere (北宋簡化渾儀) | Shen Kuo and Huangfu Yu (皇甫愈) | 1089 | Simplied version of Tang Dynasty Device, removed the rarely used moon orbit. | - |
| Five Star Charts (新儀象法要) | 1094 | 1464 stars grouped into 283 asterisms | [16] | |
| Song Dynasty Water-powered Planetarium (宋代 水运仪象台) | Su Song and Han Gonglian (韩公廉) | c. 11th century | - | [17] [18] |
| Liao Dynasty Tomb Dome Star Map (遼宣化张世卿墓頂星圖) | 1116 | shown both the Chinese 28 Constellation encircled by Babylonian Zodiac | [19] [20] | |
| Star Map in a woman's grave (江西德安 南宋周氏墓星相图) | 1127–1279 | Milky Way and 57 other stars. | - | |
| Suzhou Star Chart (蘇州石刻天文圖, 淳祐天文図) | Huang Shang (黃裳) | created in 1193, etched to stone in 1247 by Wang Zhiyuan (王致遠) | The chart shows 1434 Stars grouped into 280 asterisms; the accompanying text, supposedly a key to the chart, lists 1,565 stars in 283 asterisms. | [21] [22] [23] [24] |
| Yuan Dynasty Simplified Armillary Sphere 元代簡儀 | Guo Shoujing | 1276–1279 | Further simplied version of Song Dynasty Device | [25] |
| Japanese Star Chart (格子月進図) | 1324 | Similar to Su Song Star Chart, original burned in air raids during World War II, only pictures left. Reprinted in 1984 by Eiji Sasaki | - | |
| 天象列次分野之図(Cheonsang Yeolcha Bunyajido) | 1395 | Korean versions of Star Map in Stone. It was made in Chosun Dynasty and the constellation names were written in Chinese letter. | - | |
| Japanese Star Chart 瀧谷寺 天之図 | c. 14th or 15th centuries | - | - | |
| Korean King Sejong's Armillary sphere | 1433 | - | [26] | |
| Star Chart | Mao Kun (茅坤) | c. 1422 | Polaris compared with Southern Cross and Alpha Centauri | |
| Ming Ancient Star Chart 北京隆福寺(古星圖) | c. 1453 | 1420 Stars, possibly based on old star maps from Tang Dynasty | - | |
| Chanshu Star Chart (明常熟石刻天文圖) | 1506 | Based on Suzhou Star Chart, Northern Sky observed at 36.8 degrees North Latitude, 1466 stars grouped into 284 asterism | - | |
| Ming Dynasty Star Map (渾蓋通憲圖說) | c. 1550 | - | [27] | |
| Tian Wun Tu (天问图) | Xiao Yuncong 萧云从 | c. 1600 | Contained mapping of 12 constellations and 12 animals | [28] |
| Zhou Tian Xuan Ji Tu (周天璇玑图) and He He Si Xiang Tu (和合四象圖) in Xingming guizhi | by 尹真人高第弟子 published by 余永宁 | 1615 | Drawings of Armillary Sphere and four Chinese Celestial Animals with some notes. Related to Taoism. | - |
| Korean Astronomy Book "Selected and Systematized Astronomy Notes" 天文類抄 | 1623~1649 | Contained some star maps | - | |
| Ming Dynasty General Star Map (赤道南北兩總星圖) | 1634 | - | - | |
| Ming Dynasty diagrams of Armillary spheres and Celestial Globes | Xu Guangqi | c. 1699 | - | - |
| Ming Dynasty Planetarium Machine (渾象 Hui Xiang) | c. 17th century | Ecliptic, Equator, and dividers of 28 constellation | [29] | |
| Copper Plate Star Map stored in Korea | 1652 | - | - | |
| Japanese Edo period Star Chart 天象列次之図 | Harumi Shibukawa 渋川春海 | 1670 | - | - |
| The Celestial Globe 天體儀 | 1673 | 1876 stars grouped into 282 asterisms | [30] [31] | |
| Picture depicted Song Dynasty fictional astronomer (呉用 Wu Yong) with a Celestial Globe (天體儀) | Japanese painter | 1675 | showing top portion of a Celestial Globe | |
| Japanese Edo period Star Chart 天文分野之図 | Harumi Shibukawa | 1677 | - | [32] [33] |
| Japanese Edo period Star Chart 天文図解 | 井口常範 | 1689 | - | - |
| Japanese Edo period Star Chart 古暦便覧備考 | 苗村丈伯 | 1692 | - | - |
| Japanese star chart | 1699 | A Japanese star chart of 1699 showing lunar stations | [34] [35] [36] | |
| Japanese Edo period Star Chart 天文成象Tian Wen Cheng xiang | 渋川昔尹 | 1699 | including Stars from Wu Shien (44 Constellation, 144 stars) in yellow; Gan De (118 Constellations, 511 stars) in black; Shi Shen (138 Constellations, 810 stars) in red and Harumi Shibukawa (61 Constellations, 308 stars) in blue; | [37] [38] |
List of Japanese star charts from 17th–19th century and their storage locations. Also listed are some copies of Chinese star maps
