Mirror of Scientific Origins

Volume 1

Mirror of Scientific Origins
Volume 1

The appearance of the heavens, when observed, often shows discrepancies, which is why the official historians do not use it; only the Armillary Sphere original: "hun tian" all-encompassing heaven has recently approached the truth. The copper instrument currently used by the official historians at the observation platform is based on this method. An eight-foot circular instrument is established to provide a model of Heaven and Earth, to rectify the ecliptic, and to calculate the movements of the five planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. It is a profound and subtle method, a path that has not changed for a hundred generations. Wang Fan's "Theory of the All-Encompassing Heaven": The Armillary Sphere hun yi and the ancient instruments of Yi and He, passed down through the ages, are known as the Jade Pivot xuanji. During the chaos of the Zhou and Qin dynasties, the instruments were broken and destroyed, but the Armillary Sphere remained at the observation platform; thus, it was not abandoned. Book of Sui, Treatise on Astronomy: According to the Book of Yu, Shun examined the Jade Pivot and Jade Balance xuanji yuheng to regulate the Seven Administrators the sun, moon, and five planets. This is what the Kaolingyao a classic on astronomical omens refers to when it says: observe the movements of the Jade Instrument; the clarity or dimness of the dusk and dawn determines the time, thus commanding the Central Stars. If the Jade Pivot is centered but the stars are not, the timing is hurried; if it is hurried, the sun passes its degree and the moon does not reach its station. If the Jade Pivot is not yet centered but the stars are, the timing is sluggish; if it is sluggish, the sun does not reach its degree and the moon passes its station. If the Jade Pivot is centered and the stars are also centered, this is harmony; if there is harmony, the wind and rain are timely, the myriad grasses flourish, the five grains are harvested, and all things are at peace. Shangshu Dazhuan Great Commentary on the Book of Documents: The Pivot and Balance jiheng—the pivot is the rotating mechanism, and the balance is the horizontal sighting tube. Operating the mechanism to move it below and looking through the balance to observe—this is the instrument by which the King corrects the celestial phenomena. Since the Han dynasty, this has been called the Armillary Sphere huntian yi. Ma Rong's "Theory of the All-Encompassing Heaven": The Armillary Sphere can rotate, therefore it is called the Pivot ji. The so-called balance heng is the horizontal sighting tube, which is used to observe the constellations. Cai Yong's "Theory of the Canopy Heaven": The circular part is the Pivot, eight feet in diameter, made of fine jade, suspended and rotated to model the movement of the heavens. The straight part is the Balance, eight feet long, also made of fine jade, with a hole one inch in diameter. By looking up from below the Pivot, one can observe the stars. Book of Sui, Treatise on Astronomy: During the reign of Emperor He of the Han, the Grand Historian's calculations and observations with the equatorial instrument often deviated from the celestial degrees. When asked, the star-specialist Yao Chong and others all stated that the star charts had established rules, but the sun and moon actually followed the ecliptic, and the office lacked the instrument for it. In the 15th year of the Yongyuan era, an edict ordered Jia Kui to first construct the Copper Ecliptic Instrument. Book of Jin, Treatise on Astronomy: During the Han dynasty, Luoxia Hong, Xianyu Wangren, Geng Shouchang, and others constructed a circular instrument to examine the calendar degrees. Later, during the reign of Emperor He, Jia Kui continued the work and added the ecliptic. By the time of Emperor Shun, Zhang Heng also created an armillary model hunxiang, featuring internal and external rings, north and south...