Chinese Astronomy
Chinese scholars began by thinking of the stars, the sun, and the moon as gods. But by the time of the Han Dynasty, about 130 AD, scholars like Zhang Heng knew that the moon was a sphere, lighted by the sun on one side and dark on the side away from the sun. Zhang Heng also understood what caused solar and lunar eclipses.
Chinese astronomers, like Roman and Sassanian astronomers of the same time period in Europe and West Asia, were very interested in the stars both for scientific reasons and because they believed that the skies could help predict the future.
One of these Chinese astronomers drew this star chart, which is the oldest one in the world. Even though telescopes and binoculars hadn't been invented yet, the chart shows some very faint stars that are very hard to see with just your eyes.
Why did people want to punch Socrates?
Where did Egyptians bury your liver?
How old are the Rocky Mountains?
What does a half-timbered house look like?
How do you spin wool?
(a project)
But along with this chart, there were also instructions for predicting the future based on the shape of clouds!
To find out more about Chinese astronomy, check out these books from Amazon.com or from your library:
Science in Ancient China, by George Beshore (1998). For kids.
Ancient China: 2,000 Years of Mystery and Adventure to Unlock and Discover (Treasure Chest), by Chao-Hui Jenny Liu (1996). Lots of activities for kids, including a Chinese calligraphy set.
Astronomy and Mathematics in Ancient China : The 'Zhou Bi Suan Jing', by Christopher Cullen (1996). By a specialist, for adults, about a Chinese astronomy book from the Han Dynasty in the first century AD. But really it covers Chinese astronomy from the Stone Age to about 1600 AD.
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