The constellations, with astrological signs of the zodiac (1660). The familiar charts of dots for stars with joining lines came into use as early as 1000CE in both China and the rest of the world. As early as the end of the Han dynasty over a thousand stars had been cataloged. This fact gives strong evidence of cultural independence from ancient times. However, this is not the case, the whole approach to designating constellations and the study of astronomy is different. If Chinese civilization had a common ancestral root with Europe and the Middle East it would be expected that Chinese groupings of stars would share common features. These in turn had their roots in the older Middle East civilizations in Mesopotamia ➚ over 3,000 years ago. The constellations used in the west (Europe and America) have their origin in the Greek system of 88 constellations as recorded by Ptolemy ➚. One of the most durable traditions is the grouping of stars our ancestors have been looking up at the stars and studied their placements for many thousands of years. The study of the motion of the moon, planets and sun required complex mathematical calculations that was carried out by the elite astronomers at the Imperial Court. There is considerable overlap between the study of the stars and that of the moon and sun that give us the traditional calendar. Here we concentrate on the ancient Chinese series of constellations and asterisms ➚. The Chinese took a different path in their study of the stars in the sky than other cultures. It still determines the date of festivals and in particular the most important one - Spring Festival or Chinese New Year. Modern history People's Republic of China Future Leaders Government Space Exploration Economy Long March Republic of China May 4th Movement Stars The Chinese Night Sky: Stars, Constellations and Mansions Traditional Chinese calendarThe traditional Chinese calendar follows the moon rather the sun and has a system that introduces whole 'leap months' rather than days.
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