An astronomical observatory near Dengfeng in Henan province, China, built in 1276 during the early Yuan dynasty on the order of Kublai Khan and designed by astronomers Guo Shoujing and Wang Xun. It was the first of 27 observatories built across the empire to support a calendar reform, and using its tall gnomon and horizontal scale, Yuan astronomers measured the tropical year at 365 days, 5 hours, 49 minutes and 20 seconds, a precision matching the Gregorian calendar three centuries before that calendar existed. UNESCO designated the site a World Heritage Site in 2010.
Facts
LocationDuke of Zhou's shrine, Gaocheng Town, near Dengfeng, Henan province, China 1 MeasuresThe length of the tropical year via the sun's shadow 1 Operating PrincipleA horizontal gnomon bar with a shadow measuring scale, the shigui, 31.19 meters long 1 FAQs
Why was an astronomical observatory built at Dengfeng?
Dengfeng was seen as the centre of heaven and earth and the one place where astronomical observations were accurate.
UNESCO explains that Dengfeng came to be associated with the concept of the centre of heaven and earth, which it describes as the only point where astronomical observations were considered to be accurate. In its World Heritage assessment of the Dengfeng monuments, UNESCO says the observatory is very clearly associated with the astronomical observations made at that centre.
In the Other Atlases
Located In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is located.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Gaocheng Astronomical Observatory
Yuan dynasty section
The great observatory was built in 1276 in the early Yuan dynasty
Introduction section
an observatory in Duke of Zhou's shrine, Gaocheng Town, near Dengfeng in Henan province, China
Yuan dynasty section, tropical year measurement
the length of the tropical year was determined to 365 d 5 h 49 m 20 s, a value in accord with the value of the Gregorian Calendar
Yuan dynasty section, gnomon description
The shigui extending to the far north is 31.19 meters long and 0.53 meters wide.
In Group: Historic Pre-Telescopic Observatories, Lead sentence
Gaocheng Astronomical Observatory, also known as the Dengfeng Observatory, is an observatory in Duke of Zhou's shrine, Gaocheng Town, near Dengfeng in Henan province, China.
View the SourceReader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.