Tracking the moon and predicting solar eclipses: A research program in early imperial China.

Thursday, 10/20 at 3:30 p.m. at 520 Edgemont Rd (National Radio Astronomy Observatory)

National Radio Astronomy Observatory and UVA Department of Astronomy Joint Colloquium with Christopher Cullen, Cambridge

"Celestial observations and calculations played a key role in the self-conception of the imperial state in pre-modern China. Successive governments over two millennia maintained and equipped specialist groups of officials whose role was to observe, record, interpret, and as far as possible predict the movements of the celestial bodies.  The official status of astronomy led to the creation of large archives of documents, some recording observations and their interpretation, some explaining methods of calculation, and others, perhaps most interestingly, recording discussions and at times formal debates on astronomical questions.  The Chinese tradition of historical writing has transmitted important parts of this material to the present day. This talk will exploit some of those documents to examine the process by which, during the first two centuries CE, Chinese astronomical experts created a solar eclipse prediction method based on detailed analysis of the moon’s motion."

The talk will be available on livestream as well:

https://nrao-edu.zoom.us/j/94461424206?pwd=M3lEMDJYZGVxNUFCTWFPckphOFN1Zz09