Bagu (八谷)
Bā Gǔ ( Eight Kinds of Crops, 八穀) is a Chinese constellation consisting of eight stars located within the constellations Lynx, Auriga, and Camelopardalis. It belongs to the asterisms introduced by Gan De and originated during the Han dynasty.
Concordance, Etymology, History
The name Bagu refers to the eight types of staple grains. In the Kaiyuan zhanjing (Divination Canon of Kaiyuan Reign, 開元占經, compiles between 712–718 CE), a note appended to the entry for Bagu explains: “The Eight Grains are rice, millet, panicled millet, barley, wheat, soybeans, adzuki beans, and hemp.” The ancients believed that observing the asterism Bagu could be used to divine the harvest of the year: if one of its stars became invisible, it foretold that one type of grain would fail to grow; if the stars appeared dim, it signified that all eight grains would suffer a poor harvest.
Identification of stars
| Star Names or Orders(Traditional/Qing) | Ho PENG YOKE[1] | Yi Shitong[2]
Based on catalogue in 18th century |
Pan Nai[3]
based on Xinyixiangfayao Star Map |
SUN X. & J. Kistemaker[4]
Han Dynasty |
Boshun Yang[5]
before Tang dynasty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st/Determinative | delta Aur | delta Aur | beta Cam | beta Cam | delta Aur |
| 2nd | xi Aur | xi Aur | HIP 21601 | 17 Cam | 16 Cam |
| 3rd | 26 Cam | 26 Cam | HIP 20376 | 16 Cam | beta Cam |
| 4th | 17 Cam | 14 Cam | HIP 21452 | delta Aur | alpha Cam |
| 5th | 5 Cam | 7 Cam | HIP 22783 | 2 Lyn | 29997 |
| 6th | 7 Cam | 9 Aur | HIP 24017 | 1 Lyn | 15 Lyn |
| 7th | HIP 24479 | 11 Cam | HIP 22626 | 12 Lyn | 7 Cam |
| 8th | 31 Cam | 31 Cam | HIP 24914 | 15 Lyn | 9 Aur |
Maps (Gallery)
| historical map | modern identification | same in Stellarium 25.3 |
|---|---|---|
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Star Name Discussion (IAU)
In 202x, the name of the historical constellation "xxx" was suggested to be used for one of the stars in this constellation. ...
Decision: ...
References
- ↑ P.-Y. Ho, “Ancient And Mediaeval Observations of Comets and Novae in Chinese Sources,” Vistas in Astronomy, 5(1962), 127-225.
- ↑ Yi Shitong伊世同. Zhongxi Duizhao Hengxing Tubiao中西对照恒星图表1950. Beijing: Science Press.1981: 56.
- ↑ Pan Nai潘鼐. Zhongguo Hengxing Guance shi中国恒星观测史[M]. Shanghai: Xuelin Pree. 1989. p226.
- ↑ Sun Xiaochun. & Kistemaker J. The Chinese sky during the Han. Leiden: Brill. 1997, Pp241-6.
- ↑ B.-S. Yang杨伯顺, Zhongguo Chuantong Hengxing Guance Jingdu ji Xingguan Yanbian Yanjiu 中国传统恒星观测精度及星官演变研究 (A Research on the Accuracy of Chinese Traditional Star Observation and the Evolution of Constellations), PhD thesis, (Hefei: University of Science and Technology of China, 2023). 261.
