• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.129-140
• /
• 2011

In this paper, we have studied Sogyupyo (小圭表, small noon gnomon) of the Joseon dynasty. According to the Veritable Records of King Sejong (世宗, 1418 - 1450), Daegyupyo (大圭表, large noon gnomon) with a height of 40-feet [尺] was constructed by Jeong, Cho (鄭招) and his colleagues in 1435, and installed around Ganuidae (簡儀臺, platform of Ganui). On the contrary, the details of Sogyupyo are unknown although the shadow length measurements by Daegyupyo and Sogyupyo are found on the Veritable Records of King Myeongjong (明宗, 1545 - 1567). By analysing historical documents and performing experiments, we have investigated the construction details of Sogyupyo including its development year, manufacturer, and installation spot. We have found that Sogyupyo would be manufactured by King Sejong in 1440 and placed around Ganuidae. And Sogyupyo would be five times smaller than Daegyupyo, i.e., 8-feet. On the basis of experiments, we suggest that although it is smaller, Sogyupyo was equipped with a bar [橫梁] and a pin-hole projector [影符] like Daegyupyo in order to produce the observation precision presented in the Veritable Record of King Myeongjong.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.102.1-102.1
• /
• 2012

In this paper, we analyzed Korean historical records of the periodic comet Halley in three periods (Three Kingdoms, the Goryeo dynasty, and the Joseon dynasty) using various sources such as Samguksagi (History of the Three Kingdoms), Goryeosa (History of the Goryeo Dynasty), and Joseonwangjosillok (Annals of the Joseon Dynasty). To determine the apparition time of the comet at each return, we referred to the works of Kronk. For the Three Kingdoms period, we could not find any record relevant to Halley's comet from Samguksagi. Instead, we examined the suggestion that the phenomenon two Suns appearing on April 1, 760 (in a luni-solar calendar), which is recorded in Samgukyusa (Renaissance of the Three Kingdoms), indicates an appearance of comet Halley during the daytime. In contrast, we found that all the returns of Halley's comet during the Goryeo dynasty are recorded, although some accounts are questioned. In addition, we found that the appearance of Halley's comet in 1145 is also mentioned in a spirit-path stele made in 1178. For the Joseon dynasty period, we found that all the returns of the comet are recorded, as with the Goryeo dynasty, except for the return of 1910, in which the former dynasty fell. In conclusion, we think that this study will be helpful for understanding Korean historical accounts of Halley's comet.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.53 no.6
• /
• pp.125-138
• /
• 2020

We determine the observing sites for eclipses of large magnitude recorded in ancient Chinese chronicles from 200 BCE to 900 CE, by adopting the difference between terrestrial time and universal time, ΔT, given by Morrison & Stephenson (2004). The records of solar eclipses with large magnitude are divided into four groups in accordance with the historical variations of the capital cities of ancient Chinese dynasties. We determine areas in which all the eclipses in each group, with an eclipse magnitude larger than a certain threshold value, could be observed. We find that these areas coincide with the historical capitals, which agrees with the general idea that the solar eclipses were observed at the capital of each dynasty. This result also verifies the ΔT values during the period from 100 BCE to 400 CE, during which historical records of eclipses are so rare that the ΔT values can only be obtained by interpolating the long-term data. Moreover, we show that the eclipses described by the term Ji in East-Asian history are not all total eclipses; their mean magnitude is 0.96 ± 0.04. We find that complementary expressions, such as dark daytime and appearance of stars during the eclipse, strengthen the possibility that eclipses described by the term Ji were total. We also provide quantitative definitions for expressions such as 'being not complete and like a hook', 'being almost complete', 'visibility of stars during the eclipse', and 'darkness during an eclipse.' The literal meanings of these expressions are in agreement with the recent physical modeling of sky brightness during total eclipses provided by Können & Hinz (2008).

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.231-242
• /
• 2002

So-ganui, namely small simplified armillary sphere, was invented as an astronomical instrument by Lee Cheon, Jeong Cho, Jung In-Ji under 16 years’ rule of King Sejong. We collect records and observed data on So-ganui. It is designed to measure position of celestial sphere and to determine time. It also can be transformed equatorial to horizontal, and horizontal to equatorial coordinate. It can measure the right ascension, declination, altitude and azimuth. It is composed of Sayu-hwan (Four displacements), Jeokdo-hwan (Equato.ial dial), Baekgak-hwan (Ring with one hundred-interval quarters), Gyuhyeong (Sighting aliadade), Yongju (Dragon-pillar) and Bu (Stand). So-ganui was used conveniently portable surveying as well as astronomical instrument and possible to determine time during day and night.

• The Bulletin of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.36-36
• /
• 2002

Everyday meteors can be classified into sporadic meteors and shower-meteors. We compile the meteor records in the astronomical archives in the history book of Koryo dynasty (Koryosa), and investigate the spatial distribution of meteories along the orbit of the Earth during the period between the 10th century and the 14th century. We discover several peaks in cumulative frequency of meteors excluding showers, which means the presence of the strong concentrations of meteorites at the ecliptic longitudes. We also compiled the whole records of meteor showers during the same period from the history books of Korean, Japan, and China, and then compare dates of their display with dates obtained in Koryosa archive. Especially the strong concentration at 27 July is exactly coincident with a meteor shower at the same date. We devide the data into two sets, which are before and after 1200 A.D., and find out that the strength of meteor concentration has been changing. Especially the shower at 27 July weaken as time goes by.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.39-72
• /
• 2004

We present a more complete and accurate catalogue of astronomical records far meteor showers and meteor storms appeared in primary official Korean history books, such as Samguk-sagi, Koryo-sa, Seungjeongwon-ilgi, and Chosen-Wangjo-Sillok. So far the catalogue made by Imoto and Hasegawa in 1958 has been widely used in the international astryonomical society. The catalogue is based on a report by Sekiguchi in 1917 that is mainly based on secondary history books. We observed that the catalogue has a number of errors in either dates or sources of the records. We have thoroughly checked the primary official history books, instead of the secondary ones, in order to make a corrected and extended catalogue. The catalogue contains 25 records of meteor storms, four records of intense meteor-showers, and five records of usual showers in Korean history. We also find that some of those records seem to correspond to some presently active meteor showers such as the Leonids, the Perseids, and the n -Aquarids-Orionids pair. However, a large number of those records do not correspond to suck present showers. This catalogue we obtained can be useful for various astrophysical studies in the future.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.9-19
• /
• 2018

We investigate the life of Lee Cheon (1376-1451) who was closely connected with astronomy during the reign of King Sejong of the Joseon dynasty. Lee Cheon is widely regarded as one of the outstanding scientists of King Sejong's period. However, his contributions to the development of the astronomy during the period have not been enlightened. Based on the historical records on the life and achievements of Lee Cheon, mainly referring to the Joseonwangjosillok (Annals of the Joseon Dynasty), we address three important points. First, Lee Cheon was a distinguished administrator who filled various government posts. Second, he was a supervising engineer in public works and metal smelting during his position in military. Third, he was a scientific technician and manufactured precision equipment such as the metal movable type sets. By virtue of these aspects, Lee Cheon was taken into confidence by King Sejong on the Ganui-dae project (i.e., manufacture various astronomical instruments and construct their platform in order to make a calendar suitable for Joseon). During the period of this project, Lee Cheon not only supervised the construction of the Ganui (simplified armillary sphere) and Ganui-dae (platform for astronomical instruments) but also participated in the production of the astronomical instruments such as Gyupyo (Gnomon) and Honcheonui (Armillary Sphere). In conclusion, we regard Lee Cheon as one of the astronomers who led a great advance in astronomy during King Sejong's era.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.57-63
• /
• 2016

We summarize our preliminary study on the research cooperation method in the astronomy field between Republic of Korea (South Korea) and Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). To investigate the recent astronomical activities of North Korea, we have surveyed the published records of research papers and international collaborations associated with North Korean astronomers. We found only 4 astronomical papers among the identified 260 SCI papers related to North Korean researchers for the past 11 years. North Korean astronomers had very few interactions with the international astronomical society before rejoining IAU in 2012. Recently, North Korea made several astronomical research exchanges with China and Netherlands. They seemed to attend several international conferences and present their research results. We have studied possibilities to establish international networks to encourage the cooperation between South and North, and suggest to start collaboration in the historical astronomy. The collaboration can be expanded gradually to other fields in astronomy. There are many obvious political difficulties to have interactions with North Koreans. However, it will be necessary to make a long-term plan considering the reunification.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.39 no.1
• /
• pp.13-26
• /
• 2024

The armillary sphere, an astronomical observation device embodying the Orbital Heaven Theory of the Later Han Dynasty in China, holds both historical and scientific significance. It has been produced in various forms by many individuals since its inception in the era of King Sejong in the Joseon Dynasty. A prominent figure in this field was Nam Byeong-cheol (南秉哲, 1817-1863), known for his work 'Uigijipseol' (儀器輯說), published in 1859, which detailed the history, production methods, and usage of the armillary sphere. This text particularly highlights 21 applications of the armillary sphere, divided into 33 measurements, covering aspects like installation, time, and positional measurements, supplemented with explanations of spherical trigonometry. Despite numerous records of the armillary sphere's design during the Joseon Dynasty, detailed usage information remains scarce. In this study, the 33 measurements described in 'Uigijipseol' (儀器輯說) were systematically classified into six for installation, nineteen for position measurement, seven for time measurement, and one for other purposes. Additionally, the measurement methods were analyzed and organized by dividing them into the ecliptic ring, moving equatorial ring, and fixed equatorial ring of the armillary sphere. In other words, from a modern astronomical perspective, the results of schematization for each step were presented by analyzing it from the viewpoint of longitude, right ascension, and solar time. Through the analysis of Nam's armillary sphere, this study not only aims to validate the restoration model of the armillary sphere but also suggests the potential for its use in basic astronomical education based on the understanding of the 19th-century Joseon armillary sphere.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.153-161
• /
• 1993

We analyze 211 data of the daily sunspot observations during the period of January 4 to November 30 in 1993 and present the daily relative sunspot numbers. During 334 days of the period, the preliminary annual average of the relative sunspot numbers is found to be 61.8 based on 27.1 distinct spots in a single group for 3.7 spot groups. According to the appearance of 203 spot groups, our analysis shows that the mean life time of spot group is about 1 day and 15.5 hours. Our records show that more number of sunspots have appeared in the southern hemisphere than in the northern hemisphere by some 2%, indicating that the solar activities of the northern and southern hemisphere are much the same during the period.