Copper gold-plated three-star instrument

[Copper Plated Three Star Apparatus]

Copper Plated Three Star Apparatus, Qing Qianlong, height 72 cm, maximum diameter of ring frame 39 cm. The old collection of the Qing Palace
In the coordinate ring of the Sanxingyi, the upright large circle is the meridian circle, with a 360 ° circumference engraved on it; In the double circular ring intersecting it, the outer ring is the celestial equatorial circle, with an upper engraved moment and minute; The inner ring is a circumrotating equatorial circle, with the equatorial twelve degrees carved on it. The innermost weight is a polar travel circle that can rotate around the polar axis, with a longitude engraved on it. The travel circle is attached with a straight distance, a travel meter, and a sight tube. The ring frame of the instrument is mainly supported by 7 cylindrical supports, with a cross shaped square seat underneath. A water tank and a screw are arranged in the square seat to adjust the level; It is also equipped with a compass to determine the north-south direction. The inscription “Made in the year of Bingyin of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty” is engraved on the side of this instrument’s meridian circle. According to the “Three Star Instrument Theory”, the three star instrument can demonstrate measuring the sun, moon, and stars to obtain the time, and determine the equatorial longitude and latitude of the moon and stars
This three-star instrument was manufactured in accordance with the principle of instrument making proposed in the ninth year of Qianlong’s reign (1744), which combines the advantages of ancient Chinese astrometry techniques with the advantages of Western instruments for accurate calibration. The three-star instrument made by the Qing court still follows the three-layer system of the ancient Chinese armillary sphere in terms of its ring structure. The difference is that the coordinate rings such as the horizon circle, the zodiac, and the white path have been removed respectively. Although the traditional armillary sphere, which combines the rings, has been simplified, it still retains the use function of the armillary sphere. According to its size, it can also be determined that the Sanchen Instrument is the last large measured bronze instrument cast in the Qing Dynasty on the ancient observatory – a one-fifth size model of the Jiheng Fuchen Instrument. The welding and other techniques of this instrument are also very exquisite


铜镀金三辰仪-款识