Chapter 65 Chapter 17 Similarities and Differences between Ancient Chinese and European Astronomy

Although Chinese and European astronomers are facing the same celestial bodies and the same laws of motion, their differences in geographical location and cultural background cause them to have different understandings of astronomical phenomena, and even adopt different fitting methods.The main differences between ancient Chinese and European astronomy can be summarized in ten aspects: 1. In ancient China, stars and star officials were often named after political institutions, people and things in reality, such as Ji, Niu, Tianlao, Emperor and Prince.Europe inherited the ancient Greek tradition and named after people or animals in myths and stories, such as the fairy queen, centaur and lepus.

2. In ancient China, the visible starry sky was divided into three walls and twenty-eight mansions, including 31 sky areas, with a total of 283 stars and 1464 stars.And Europe has been using Ptolemy's 48 constellations and 1022 stars before the 16th century. 3. Ancient China used to adopt the equatorial coordinate system, while Europe generally uses the ecliptic coordinate system. 4. In ancient China, the whole sky was divided by 3601/4 degrees, and in Europe, it was divided by 360°. 5. In addition to continuous observation of conventional astronomical phenomena, ancient China also paid great attention to abnormal astronomical phenomena. Its continuous record of 2000 years is unmatched by any country in the world.

6. Chinese calendar compilation and astronomical observation are two branches of parallel development.The calendar part is not only about arranging the calendar days, but also includes calculating the position of the sun and the moon, the time and degree of the eclipse, and the position of the planets, etc., which is equivalent to an astronomical calendar.Ancient China formulated more than 100 calendars, while Europe only changed them a few times. 7. The Chinese calendar is a lunar calendar, in which the twenty-four solar terms system is unique in the world.The European calendar is the solar calendar.

8. In the orthodox concept of ancient China, the sky is a single-layer ball structure, but before the Middle Ages in Europe, the sky was considered to be a multi-layered and multi-centered crystal ball structure. 9. In ancient China, it was customary to use algebraic methods to simulate real celestial phenomena, while Europeans traditionally used geometric methods. 10. Ancient Chinese astronomy had a strong official color, and astronomical institutions were directly under the jurisdiction of the imperial court.Astronomers' research funds, working conditions and instruments and equipment can be fully guaranteed, which is conducive to the development of astronomy.But for the same reason, the imperial court strictly forbids the private study of astronomy, which is not conducive to the popularization and improvement of astronomy.However, ancient European astronomers were free to debate without restraint, and even royal astronomers had the freedom to choose research directions.But after all, there are only a few royal astronomers, and most astronomers often lack financial support.It can be said that the ancient administrative systems of China and Europe have their own advantages and disadvantages for the development of astronomy.