Armillary sphere

An ancient Chinese instrument for celestial research. During the reign of Emperor Shun (126-144), engineer Zhang Heng produced a seismograph called a "heliodor" and also invented an observational instrument called a "arm of heaven." The latter was the armillary sphere, also called the "Xianji Yuheng," which consisted of a set of rings marked with scales for the inner and outer rules, the north and south poles, the yellow equator, the 24 solar terms, the 28 mansions, the central and outer stars (constellations), and the five latitudes of the sun, moon, and five planets (also called the sun, moon, and five planets). It was placed in a closed room and operated by water leakage to estimate the positions of celestial bodies. It was an instrument similar to today's planetariums, but was constructed according to the "arm of heaven theory," a cosmology that the universe has a spherical structure. The armillary sphere became the center of observational instruments in China, and during the Sui dynasty, a sight with a circular hole for observation was attached and it came to be used for practical celestial observation. The armillary sphere currently remaining at the Beijing Ancient Observatory is said to have been made in the Ming dynasty and is made of bronze.

[Goro Ishida and Asahi Fujii]

“Reprint edition of “Oriental Astronomy History Series” written by Tadataaki Noda (1989, Seiseisha Koukaku)”

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

古代中国の、天体研究のための器械。後漢(ごかん)の時代の技術者張衡(ちょうこう)が、順帝（在位126～144）の代に「地動儀」という地震計を製作し、また「渾象(こんしょう)」とよぶ観測器械を発明したという。後者が渾天儀で、璿璣玉衡(せんきぎょくこう)ともよばれ、内外規、南北極、黄赤道、二十四気（二十四節気）、二十八宿、中外星官（星座）、日月五緯（太陽、月、五惑星。日月五星ともいう）などの目盛りをつけた円環の組合せで、密室内に置いて漏水により運転し、天体の位置を推定したという。今日のプラネタリウムのような器械であったが、宇宙が球状構造であるという宇宙論「渾天説」に従って構成されていた。渾天儀は中国の観測器械の中心となり、隋(ずい)代には観測用の円孔をつけた照準衡が取り付けられ、実地の天測に用いられるようになったという。現在、北京(ペキン)古観象台に残されている渾天儀は明(みん)代の製作と伝えられ、青銅製である。

［石田五郎・藤井　旭］

『能田忠亮著『東洋天文学史論叢』覆刻版（1989・恒星社厚生閣）』

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