Time: Han Dynasty
Ethnic group: Han nationality
Alias: Zuolong Palace
Occupation: astronomer
Birthplace: Langzhong, Ba County (now Langzhong, Sichuan)
Main achievements: taichu calendar, an astrolabe for observing the stars, is called "the old man in the Spring Festival".
Brief Introduction of Folk Astronomers in Western Han Dynasty in China
Luoxiahong (156-87 years ago) was born in Langzhong, Baxian (now Langzhong, Sichuan). China was an astronomer in the ancient Western Han Dynasty and the main founder of taichu calendar Law. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was one of the founders of Taishigong and Huntian. He once made an armillary sphere to observe the stars, and created the taichu calendar method, also known as the Eighty Uniform Calendar, which had a great influence on astronomy. In his hometown of Panlongshan in Langzhong, Zhu Wenxin, a modern historian of astronomy, said: "Since the Han Dynasty, Xia Hong has become an armillary sphere, and the power of instruments and images has been established." Later astronomers such as Wei Jia, Zhang Heng and Zu Chongzhi improved and developed on the basis of Xia Hong. Luo perfected the theory of Huntian in ancient astronomy and laid an advanced theoretical foundation for the ancient cosmic structure of China. His contribution to astronomy, linking the past with the future, has played an important role in promoting the development of astronomy in China.
Personal experience
When I was young, I was in the country and was fascinated by astronomical observation. Later, I became famous in my hometown. Recommended by fellow countryman Taichang and Taishi Sima Qian, he was recruited into Beijing by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. I worked with the then official astronomers Tang Dou and Deng Ping to develop the calendar. This calendar was adopted by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and promulgated in the first year of Taichu, so it was called "taichu calendar".
Taichu calendar is the first calendar with complete written records in the history of China, which has played an extremely important role in history. And Luo Xiahong's series of pioneering contributions in astronomy, mathematics, agriculture and so on have also been recognized by academic circles. Joseph Needham, a British historian of science and technology, called him "the most splendid constellation in the astronomical history of China".
On September/6, 2004, with the approval of the Nomination Committee for Small Objects of the National Astronomical Union, the National Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences named this asteroid with the international permanent number of 16757 as "sunset red star". Since then, sunset red has truly become a bright constellation that shines in the starry sky forever.
Main contribution
In ancient China, there were four outstanding scientific achievements in agriculture, medicine, astronomy and mathematics, which were referred to as "agriculture, medicine, astronomy and mathematics" for short. Luoxiahong has laid a good foundation in these aspects. He not only inherited China's achievements in the above subjects in ancient times, but also greatly developed them.
The enactment of the taichu calendar Law is an unprecedented calendar reform in the history of China and a great contribution of the Chinese nation to world astronomy. Dr Needham of Britain praised him as a "splendid constellation" in the world astronomy circle in the book History of Science and Technology in China. And compared the astronomical achievements of the East and the West in the era when Luoxiahong lived, * * * was listed as the top ten achievements, among which there were three achievements of Luoxiahong. Although the sunset red has passed away for more than two thousand years, the "sunset red star" shines forever in the vast space.