Northern Pole
Northern Pole (北极 in Simplified Chinese, běi jí in Pinyin) is a traditional Chinese asterism found in the Purple Forbidden enclosure (紫微垣 in Simplified Chinese, zǐ wēi yuán in Pinyin).[1] It consists of five stars found in the modern constellations of Ursa Minor and Camelopardalis and represents the five stars of the North Pole. During the Qing dynasty, a total of four stars from the constellation Ursa Minor was added to the asterism.
| Order | English name | Chinese name | Corresponding star |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (北极一) | The Crown Prince | 太子 | Gamma Ursae Minoris (Pherkad) |
| 2 (北极二) | The Emperor | 帝 | Beta Ursae Minoris (Kochab) |
| 3 (北极三) | The Son of Concubine | 庶子 | 5 Ursae Minoris |
| 3+1 (庶子增一) | The Son of Concubine | 庶子 | unclear, in Ursa Minor |
| 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 |
| 5 (北极五) | The Celestial Pivot | 天枢 | Struve 1694 (in Camelopardalis) |
References
- ^ Pankenier, David, A Brief History of Beiji (Northern Culmen) (PDF), Lehigh University