Niandao (辇道)
Niandao
Authors: Lyu Haocheng
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Niǎn Dào (Imperial Passageway, 辇道), a Chinese constellation consists of 5 stars, located west of Zhinü (Vega, the Weaving Girl), belongs to the Ox (Niu, 牛) Lunar Mansion, the Gan school, and corresponds to parts of the modern constellations Lyra and Cygnus. Niandao is the road for the imperial chariot, symbolizing the emperor's path for going on excursions and private journeys.
Concordance, Etymology, History
Niandao is the way along which the emperor "roams freely and travels privately", governing leisurely and harmonious journeys.
Dongjin Ji (东晋纪) says:
Niandao governs the concubines' chambers and the spring‑autumn palaces.
Chunqiu Wei (春秋纬) calls it the "Concubines' Palace" or the "Palace of Excursions", symbolizing a place where the ruler and ministers flourish in virtue. The Book of Jin: Astronomical Treatise states:
It is the path for the king to take his pleasure and roam; the Han dynasty's Niandao connecting the Northern and Southern Palaces is its earthly image.
In Luoyang of the Eastern Han dynasty, a covered passageway (an aerial double corridor) was built to link the Northern and Southern Palaces, imitating the celestial Niandao constellation. Thus the Niandao star official not only represents the physical imperial road but also touches upon the emperor's consorts and recreational life. Its changes can be used to divine whether the emperor's private travels are excessive and whether the state is peaceful.
Identification of stars
| Star Names or Orders(Traditional/Qing) | Ho PENG YOKE[1][comment 1] | Yi Shitong[2]
Based on catalogue in 18th century |
Pan Nai[3]
based on Xinyixiangfayao Star Map |
Pan Nai[4]
based on catalogues in Yuan dynasty |
SUN X. & J. Kistemaker[5]
Han Dynasty |
Boshun Yang[6]
before Tang dynasty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st (determinative) | V545 Lyr ? | 13 Lyr | 13 Lyr | 13 Lyr | 13 Lyr | 13 Lyr |
| 2nd | θ Lyr | η Lyr [comment 2] | η Lyr | η Lyr | η Lyr | η Lyr |
| 3rd | 4 Cyg | θ Lyr | θ Lyr | θ Lyr | θ Lyr | θ Lyr |
| 4th | χ Cyg | 4 Cyg | 4 Cyg | 4 Cyg | 4 Cyg | 4 Cyg |
| 5th | ? | 17 Cyg | 8 Cyg | 8 Cyg | 8 Cyg | 8 Cyg |
- ↑ The star chart in the original material is not standard and only displays four stars. The modern star names given here are for reference only.
- ↑ In the original 18th century star catalog, the star (Niandao II) was actually 19 Lyr, not η Lyr. Due to a transcription error in the Flamsteed's catalog, the declination value was copied incorrectly by 10 degrees. The star catalog in Yixiang Kaocheng used incorrect coordinates, with 19 Lyr mistakenly corresponding to Niandao II. Later scholars often used incorrect coordinates to identify the star as η Lyr, but based on the original data, η Lyr should actually be Niandao Added II.
Maps (Gallery)
| historical map | modern identification
(Yang 2023) |
same in Stellarium 24.4 |
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IAU Working Group on Star Names
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.
- ↑ Pan Nai潘鼐. Zhongguo Hengxing Guance shi中国恒星观测史[M]. Shanghai: Xuelin Pree. 2009. p443.
- ↑ 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.
