论中国十二星次名称的含义和来历

中国古代将黄道带星座分成十二星次,其名称的含义和来历是在二十八宿基础上.从三方面选取:著名的代表人物,如:玄嚣、实沈、大火(隐含阏伯);四方的民族和诸侯国,如:娵訾、降娄、析木、大梁;代表南方荆蛮的鸟图腾.     

诗词歌赋中的星座世界（十四）——南方朱雀七宿

南方朱雀七宿由井、鬼、柳、星、张、翼、轸组成。它们为什么被称作“朱雀”呢？原来,它的造型是南方少数民族少昊族的图腾——一只红色的大鸟。据考证,少吴族是由早期生活在江苏一带的东夷民族的“鸟夷”支南迁,随后与当地的南蛮部落融合而形成的。     

中国传统星名中的星宿、星官和星座

中国古代对星空命名中的星宿、星官和星座是有区别的。星宿指二十八宿,它们作为计量天体的坐标,不考虑作为恒星或星座存在的意义。星官是指该星座作为官员星名而言,若星名没有官员的含义,则不可称星官而称星座。因此星座使用的范围更广,天官星名、动物星名和其它星名也可以叫星座。二十八宿也可叫二十八星座。以往的误解需要澄清。     

五月的星空

一、昏中星翼宿和轸宿五月的昏中星是冀宿和轸宿。翼宿二十二星,轸宿四星,均较暗淡。轸宿4星,均为3等星。翼宿诸星更为微弱,除最亮的翼宿五为3等星外,其余均为4.5等小星。翼宿的西面为张宿和轸宿。西北方向为轩辕星,正北方向为太微垣。翼轸二宿的东方为苍龙七宿,角宿二星位于轸宿东北不远处。越过角宿,再往东北方向,便是全天第6大星大角星。轸宿的东南,为星空东南战场的库楼星和骑官星等。著名的北斗七星,正位于北方天空,这是观看北斗七星最好的季节。     

有关图腾的几个问题

图腾有原生和演生的差别,中华四夷的原始图腾被搬到天空,对应四象２８宿。由于图腾往往与先民相联系,对祖先的崇拜也与图腾崇拜连在一起甚至混为一体。彝语支民族流传至今的图腾,从黑虎到多种动植物,呈现多样性和复杂性,是图腾演生和多次演生的反映。以彝族、哈尼族为代表的祭山龙,原本与龙图腾无关,而与农耕和环境保护相联系。     

有关图腾的几个问题

图腾有原生和演生的差别,中华四夷的原始图腾被搬到天空,对应四象２８宿,由于图腾往往与先民相联系,对祖先的崇拜也与图腾崇拜连在一起甚至混为一体。彝语支民族流传至今的图腾,从黑虎到多种动植物,呈现多样性和复杂性,是图腾演生和多次演生的反映,以彝族,哈尼族为代表的祭山龙,原本与龙图腾无关,而与农耕和环境保护相联系。     

四月昏中的星空

朱雀诸星与巨蟹座、长蛇座、巨爵座的对话中国黄道带的南方七宿统称朱雀,但对于朱雀的形象来说,则不包括第一宿井宿和最后一宿轸宿。因为井宿为水井,轸宿为军车,均与鸟无关。又从东西方星座的对应来说,自鬼至翼五宿,也正好与希腊的巨蟹座、长蛇座和巨爵座相对应,现分别介绍这几个星座。     

中国古代分野理论中分星变化的原因考究

分野是中国古天文以及术数论中的重要概念,是传统文化中特有的天、地对应关系.通过对正史等相关史料的分析研究:(1)认定岁差不是引发十二次二十八宿分野中分星变化的主要因素,经对16种文献的计算表明,文献分野体系中的分星变化与岁差的符合率小于26.7％.(2)分星变化受十二次划分均匀与否、分野概念演变、历法因素及观测精度,甚至包括文献作者的主观因素等的影响,这在地方志中表现犹为突出.     

诗词歌赋中的星座世界（十）——北方玄武七宿

玄武与“北方”的不解之缘 二十八宿中的斗、牛、女、虚、危、室、壁对应着北方,称“北方玄武七宿”。玄武是蛇绕龟体的“二合一”,这是古人想象的一种灵物。玄,是黑的意思,代表北方,有学者认为,玄武的本意是“玄冥“,冥即阴,形容北方的阴暗,而武、冥的读音在古代是相同的,后来不知何时写成了“玄武”。     

中国古代星象与曾侯乙墓中的星斗

中国古代的星象划分 经过几千年的发展演化,中国古代形．成了一套完整的星象划分体系,是与西方星座划分体系完全不同的具有中国文化特色的星象划分体系。中国古代星象主要由“三垣二十八宿”所组成。三垣是指环绕北天极附近的三个星区,即紫微垣、太微垣和天市垣。每个星区都有东西两藩的星,左右环列,形如墙垣,故名之为“垣”。     

传统星座的五帝座考证

中国传统星座中的紫微垣五帝内座和太微垣五帝座,都是古人为天上最高统治者天帝,在一年不同的五时处于不同方位处理政务而设的坐位。将五帝座作黄帝和四方之帝的坐位是“纬书”类的附会,与星座命名的本义相悖,由此造成不必要的混乱,一直延续至今,因此就有必要进行考证,给予澄清。     

传统星座的五帝座考证

中国传统星座中的紫微垣五帝内座和太微垣五帝座,都是古人为天上最高统治者天帝,在一年不同的五时处于不同方位处理政务而设的坐位。将五帝座作黄帝和四方之帝的坐位是"纬书"类的附会,与星座命名的本义相悖,由此造成不必要的混乱,一直延续至今,因此就有必要进行考证,给予澄清。     

从《大统通占》星表重新考察明初的恒星观测---兼论传统星官的变化

《大统通占》是明初钦天监编纂的占书,其中保存了一些明初恒星观测数据.试图以此重新考察明初的恒星观测情况.首先,分析了该书的成书年代,指出其应完成于永乐四年至二十三年之间.然后,以依巴谷星表(2007)为标准,对该书记载恒星数据的赤纬误差进行傅里叶分析,发现这些数据应观测于洪武年间,且其精度达到明末以前星表的最高水平.另外,梳理了明初钦天监观测恒星的条件,认为其观测水平的提高与郭守敬对仪器的改进措施密切相关.最后,对这份精密星表的研究也进一步揭示了古代星官发生的历史变化.     

十月太阳历研究进展

十月太阳历，首先是彝族中进行实施地口头调查获得，继而在哈尼族、僳僳族中均有发现。随后有人认为口头调查不可靠，从未见有彝文和汉文记载，进而提出彝族自古使用的就是十二月，所谓十月历是有经编出来编人的，但近年来多方发掘研究，取得重大突破，有关十月的历的彝文典籍，发现了《天文历法史》、等。     

CEMP星HE 1005-1439中子俘获元素天体物理来源的研究

HE1005-1439是一颗金属丰度极低([Fe/H]～-3.0)的碳增丰贫金属星(Carbon Enhanced Metal-Poor,CEMP),该星的s-过程元素显著超丰([Ba/Fe]=1.16±0.31,[Pb/Fe]=1.98±0.19),而r-过程元素温和超丰([Eu/Fe]=0.46±0.22),使用单一的s-过程模型和i-过程模型均不能拟合该星中子俘获丰度分布.采用丰度分解的方法探究该星化学元素的天体物理来源可有助于理解CEMP星的形成和化学演化.利用s-过程和r-过程的混合模型对其中子俘获元素的丰度分布进行拟合,发现该星的中子俘获元素主要来源于低质量低金属丰度AGB伴星的s-过程核合成,而r-过程核合成也有贡献.     

An electronic version of the second volume of the General Catalogue of Variable Stars with improved coordinates

We present a new electronic version of the second volume of the fourth edition of the General Catalogue of Variable Stars (GCVS), which contains data on 13480 variable stars in the constellations Cygnus-Orion (the order of constellations in the Catalogue follows the Latin alphabet). The new version takes into account the Name Lists of Variable Stars from no. 67 to 76 for the same constellations. The main distinctive feature of the new version is that it contains improved equatorial J2000.0 coordinates for 13446 stars (including those for 5052 stars with an allowance made for proper motions), based on the identifications with positional catalogs using finding charts, as well as on our new measurements. We searched for a number of stars on original plates from the collections of several observatories and using digital sky survey images. The new version also includes a file of remarks to the second and third GCVS volumes. Apart from a complete update of the positional information, we took into account several corrections that were found to be necessary after the publication of the second GCVS volume (1985). We present a list of references to new Internet resources.     

A new proposition for redating the Mithraic tauroctony scene

Assuming that the figures of the central icon of the Mithraic cult – the scene of tauroctony (bull slaying) – represent equatorial constellations at the time when the spring equinox was placed somewhere between Taurus and Aries, it is difficult to explain why some equatorial constellations (Orion and Libra) were not included in the Mithraic icons A simulation of the sky at the times in which the spring equinox was in the constellation of Taurus, only a small area of spring equinox positions permits to exclude these two constellations, with all other representations of equatorial constellations (Taurus, Canis Minor, Hydra, Crater, Corvus, Scorpio) included. These positions of the spring equinox occurred at the beginning of the age of Taurus, and included Gemini as an equatorial constellation. Two of the main figures in the Mithraic icons are two identical figures, usually represented on the each side of the bull, wearing phrygian caps and holding torches. Their names, Cautes and Cautopates, and their looks may indicate that they represent the constellation of Gemini. In that case the main icon of Mithraic religion could represent an event that happened around 4000 BC, when the spring equinox entered the constellation of Taurus. Also, this position of equator contains Perseus as an equatorial constellation. Ulansey suggested that the god Mithras is identified with the constellation Perseus. In that case, all figures in the main scene would be equatorial constellations.     

Resonant dynamics of Medium Earth Orbits: space debris issues

The Medium Earth Orbit region is the home of the navigation constellations. It is shown how the orbits of these constellations of satellites are strongly affected by the so-called inclination dependent luni-solar resonances. The analytical theory of these resonances is recalled and a large set of numerical integrations is used to investigate the stability of the orbits of the constellations over very long time spans. The stability issue is important in the definition of possible disposal strategies for the constellation spacecraft, after their end-of-life. Two possible disposal strategies are envisaged involving either stable or unstable orbits (from the eccentricity growth point of view). In particular it is shown how, to have disposal orbits with moderately short lifetime (of the orders of 40–50 years), a very large disposal maneuver would be required to rise the inital eccentricity to values above ~ 0.3.     

Time distributions in satellite constellation design

The aim of the time distribution methodology presented in this paper is to generate constellations whose satellites share a set of relative trajectories in a given time, and maintain that property over time without orbit corrections. The model takes into account a series of orbital perturbations such as the gravitational potential of the Earth, the atmospheric drag, the Sun and the Moon as disturbing third bodies and the solar radiation pressure. These perturbations are included in the design process of the constellation. Moreover, the whole methodology allows to design constellations with multiple relative trajectories that can be distributed in a minimum number of inertial orbits.     

The Loci of Satellite Positions: A Constellation Design Approach

In special cases in which satellite constellations can be described by a limited set of parameters, a correlation between the latter and the constellation characteristics (i.e. shape and kinematics of the satellite configurations) has been investigated. Such cases may be a useful starting point for designing more complex constellations in order to achieve better the desired performances. Therefore, this proves to be one way to fix an initial set of parameters once the desired behaviour of the constellation has been established on the basis of the operational purposes required. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.