Guansuo (贯索)

Authors: Lyu Haocheng

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Guansuo in Stellarium, shows two different possible positions for the opening of the Guansuo constellation.

Guàn Suǒ (Coiled Thong, 贯索), a Chinese constellation located within the Corona Borealis. Consists of 9 stars in front of Qigong (七公) (Seven Excellencies, 七公). This constellation is named for its shape, which resembles a string threaded through a series of copper coins. It is also regarded as the "Prison of Mean People". It belongs to the Shi school (石氏) and is located in the Heavenly Market Enclosure (天市垣) of the Three Enclosures.

Concordance, Etymology, History

In ancient China, coins were known as "square-hole coins" — made of bronze, circular in shape, with a square hole in the center. People would thread a string through the square holes to string coins together into a string, thereby organizing the money and making it easier to store and carry. This string was called Guansuo. In monetary measurement, a bundle of a thousand copper coins tied together with such a string was called a guàn (贯).

Guansuo is shaped like a string of copper coins

Guansuo and Qigong in Yuan and Ming dynasty (1360s) in Stellarium

Gouhuan(勾圜) 15 stars identified by Pan Nai

The Guansuo constellation is an ancient Chinese constellation. The Records of the Grand Historian (史记, Shǐjì), Treatise on the Celestial Officials (天官书), written around 100 BCE, states:

There are fifteen stars arranged in a hook-like circle (句圜, 勾圜, Gōu Huán); they are called the Prison of Mean People. When the stars inside the prison are numerous, it means many prisoners; when they are sparse, it means prisoners have been released.

The "hook-like circle" (句圜) is the precursor of Guansuo, regarded as the Prison of Mean People, also known as the "Heavenly Prison". One theory holds that the 9 stars of Guansuo and the 7 stars of Qigong (七公) together originated from the 15 stars of the hook-like circle. The Book of Jin (晋书, Jìn Shū), Treatise on Astronomy, similarly records it as:

Guansuo, the Prison of Mean People, governing laws and restraining violence and the strong.

In astrological practice, the number of visible stars within Guansuo was often used to divine the number of prisoners in jail. This may be due to the considerable number of variable stars near Guàn Suǒ, such as R CrB, T CrB, and others.

Identification of stars

The shape of Guansuo is a complete ring. In many depictions it has an opening on the north side (considered a gate). The identification of its 9 stars is fairly certain, with the only point of disagreement being the location of the opening. Its determinative star was originally the "star to the right of the gate" (门右星), which, depending on the opening position, could be either θ CrB or π CrB. In observational records from the Huangyou era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1052 CE), the determinative star was changed to the brightest star, α CrB.

Star Names or Orders(Traditional/Qing)	Ho PENG YOKE	Yi Shitong Based on catalogue in 18th century	Pan Nai based on Xinyixiangfayao Star Map	SUN X. & J. Kistemaker Han Dynasty	Boshun Yang before Tang dynasty	Boshun Yang Song Jingyou(1034)
1st	π CrB	π CrB	θ CrB	π CrB	θ CrB (Determinative)	θ CrB (Determinative)
2nd	θ CrB	θ CrB	β CrB	θ CrB	β CrB	β CrB
3rd	β CrB	β CrB	α CrB (Determinative)	β CrB	α CrB	α CrB
4th	α CrB	α CrB	γ CrB	α CrB	γ CrB	γ CrB
5th	γ CrB	γ CrB	δ CrB	γ CrB	δ CrB	δ CrB
6th	δ CrB	δ CrB	ε CrB	δ CrB	ε CrB	ε CrB
7th	ε CrB	ε CrB	ι CrB	ε CrB	ι CrB	ι CrB
8th	ι CrB	ι CrB	ρ CrB	ι CrB	ρ CrB	ρ CrB
9th	ρ CrB	ρ CrB	κ CrB	ρ CrB	π CrB	π CrB

Maps (Gallery)

• Guansuo
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  Guansuo on Cheonsang Yeolcha Bunyajido
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  Guansuo on Suzhou Star Map
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  Guansuo on 18th century star map

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

References (Chinese)