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Article: Seeing stars.(astronomical observatories)
- Article from:
- Calliope
- Article date:
- February 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The ancient Chinese believed that celestial phenomena had a deep impact on all aspects of life, including politics. For example, in one of the 25 official dynastic histories, we read that solar eclipses foretell that government officials will attempt to usurp imperial power. Clearly, heavenly matters were considered important, and Chinese astronomy was highly regarded as a government service.
As early as the fourth century B.C., imperial astronomers noted spots on the sun by looking through thin pieces of jade. Modern scholars have found 112 sunspots recorded between 28 B.C. and A.D. 1638. These accounts provide valuable information for present-day astronomers who ...