Nanjing (Nanking) City Tour Package
Purple Mountain Observatory
Purple Mountain Observatory is located in the
Zhong Mountain (Purple Mountain) Scenic Area in the east suburb of
Nanjing City. Seen from afar, the
white domed buildings are shining brightly in the sun. Finished in
1934, it is the earliest and one of the most famous observatories in
China. Of milestone significance, it symbolizes the threshold of
Chinese modern astronomy.
At the beginning, the observatory enjoyed a great
reputation for its splendid architectures, rare apparatus and
abundant books. The 60-centimeter-caliber reflecting telescope, the
20-centimeter-caliber refracting telescope (both made in Germany)
and the meridian transit made by Swiss were almost the most advanced
equipment of the time. And they are still housed in the observatory.
Now, it is well equipped with modern facilities used for doing
experiments and observing the sun, the moon, the planets, the fixed
stars and satellites.
What's more, many ancient astronomical apparatus made
of bronze are also displayed here, including Armillary Sphere,
Simplified Armillary Sphere and Gnomon of the Ming Dynasty
(1368-1644) and Celestial Globe and Altazimuth of the Qing Dynasty
(1644-1911).
The Armillary Sphere, designed by Zhang Heng in the
Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), was used to determine the position of
the stars. It is not only an astronomical apparatus but also an
exquisite craftwork. Its four poles were engraved with entwining
dragons and the four sides of the base were cast with special
flowers and animals. The one we can see today is a mimic of the Ming
Dynasty. Simplified Armillary Sphere, as its name indicates, is the
amelioration of Armillary Sphere. It is designed by astronomer Guo
Shoujing in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). The precision of
determination and the convenience of operation were both improved.
Gnomon, having a history of more than 3000 years, was used to
measure the shadow of the sun and determine the solar terms and
number of days of a year. China is the first country to know that
there are 365.25 days in a year.
Great achievements have been made in the observatory.
Successively, more than 30 new variable stars and numbers of
asteroids have been discovered, among which 100 asteroids have been
numbered by the International Minor Planet Center. In addition, four
comets were also discovered. The Ge Wang Comet was the first comet
named with the surname of a Chinese discoverer. Besides which, the
observatory contributed a lot in applications studies. It has
successively established extensive links with other astronomical
institutions at home and abroad.
The Nanjing Astronomy and History Museum is within the
observatory itself. It's the first museum of its kind in China. The
museum has three exhibition halls, displaying full and accurate data
and pictures. Here you will feel the immensity of the universe and
the smallness of human beings.
You can take the ropeway to the observatory. And later
you can go on to climb the main peak of Purple Mountain and enjoy
its elegant scenery.
Come here and be an amateur astronomer yourself!
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