Planisphere

Description

Bronze planisphere with two magnetic needles in a raised border, the centre representing a portion of the sidereal heavens, made in Japan, probably late 17th century

Museum reference

T.1878.37

Collection

History of Science

Object name

Planisphere

Production information

Unknown
Japan, East Asia

Date

Late 17th century

Materials

Bronze

Physical description

Bronze with two magnetic needles

Associations

China, East Asia
Korea, East Asia

Exhibitions

• Earth in Space (29 Jul 2011)
  National Museum of Scotland

References

Stephenson, F.R., 'Chinese and Korean Star Maps and Catalogs' and Miyajima, K., 'Japanese Celestial Cartography before the Meiji Period' in Harley, J.B. and Woodward, David., The History of Cartography, Volume Two, Book Two: Cartography in the Traditional East and Southeast Asian Societies, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1994

Knobel, E.B., 'On a Chinese Planisphere' in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, No 69 (1909), pp 435-45

Needham, Joseph, Science and Civilisation in China, Vol 3, with Wang Ling, Mathematics and the Sciences of Heaven and Earth, London, 1959, pp 279, 282

On display

national museum of scotland »
level 1 »
natural world, earth in space »
space (early star gazing)