Northern Pole (北极 in
Simplified Chinese
Simplification, Simplify, or Simplified may refer to:
Mathematics
Simplification is the process of replacing a mathematical expression by an equivalent one, that is simpler (usually shorter), for example
* Simplification of algebraic expressions, ...
, ''běi jí'' in
Pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally writte ...
) is a traditional Chinese
asterism found in the
Purple Forbidden enclosure
The Purple Forbidden enclosure ( Zǐ wēi yuán) is one of the San Yuan ( Sān yuán) or Three Enclosures. Stars and constellations of this group lie near the north celestial pole and are visible all year from temperate latitudes in the Northern ...
(紫微垣 in
Simplified Chinese
Simplification, Simplify, or Simplified may refer to:
Mathematics
Simplification is the process of replacing a mathematical expression by an equivalent one, that is simpler (usually shorter), for example
* Simplification of algebraic expressions, ...
, ''zǐ wēi yuán'' in
Pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally writte ...
). It consists of five stars found in the modern constellations of
Ursa Minor
Ursa Minor (Latin: 'Lesser Bear', contrasting with Ursa Major), also known as the Little Bear, is a constellation located in the far northern sky. As with the Great Bear, the tail of the Little Bear may also be seen as the handle of a ladle, ...
and
Camelopardalis and represents the five stars of the North Pole. During the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...
, a total of four stars from the constellation
Ursa Minor
Ursa Minor (Latin: 'Lesser Bear', contrasting with Ursa Major), also known as the Little Bear, is a constellation located in the far northern sky. As with the Great Bear, the tail of the Little Bear may also be seen as the handle of a ladle, ...
was added to the asterism.
{, class="wikitable"
, -
! Order !! English name !! Chinese name !! Corresponding star
, -
, 1 (北极一) , , The Crown Prince , , 太子 , ,
Gamma Ursae Minoris
Gamma Ursae Minoris (γ Ursae Minoris, abbreviated Gamma UMi, γ UMi), also named Pherkad , is a star in the northern constellation of Ursa Minor. Together with Beta Ursae Minoris (Kochab), it forms the end of the dipper pan of the "Litt ...
(Pherkad)
, -
, 2 (北极二) , , The Emperor , , 帝 , ,
Beta Ursae Minoris
Beta Ursae Minoris (β Ursae Minoris, abbreviated β UMi, Beta UMi), formally named Kochab , is the brightest star in the bowl of the Little Dipper asterism (which is part of the constellation of Ursa Minor), and only slightly fainter tha ...
(Kochab)
, -
, 3 (北极三) , , The Son of Concubine , , 庶子 , ,
5 Ursae Minoris
5 Ursae Minoris is a star in the circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is a faint star but visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 4.253. The distance to this star, as determined from an annual parallax shift o ...
, -
, 3+1 (庶子增一) , , The Son of Concubine , , 庶子 , , unclear, in
Ursa Minor
Ursa Minor (Latin: 'Lesser Bear', contrasting with Ursa Major), also known as the Little Bear, is a constellation located in the far northern sky. As with the Great Bear, the tail of the Little Bear may also be seen as the handle of a ladle, ...
, -
, 3+2 (庶子增二) , , The Son of Concubine , , 庶子 , ,
3 Ursae Minoris
, -
, 3+3 (庶子增三) , , The Son of Concubine , , 庶子 , ,
10 Ursae Minoris
, -
, 4 (北极四) , , The Concubine , , 后宫 , ,
4 Ursae Minoris
, -
, 4+1 (后宫增一) , , The Concubine , , 后宫 , , unclear, in
Ursa Minor
Ursa Minor (Latin: 'Lesser Bear', contrasting with Ursa Major), also known as the Little Bear, is a constellation located in the far northern sky. As with the Great Bear, the tail of the Little Bear may also be seen as the handle of a ladle, ...
, -
, 5 (北极五) , , The Celestial Pivot , , 天枢 , ,
Struve 1694 (in
Camelopardalis)
Astronomy in China