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Show ECLIPSES OF EARLY DATE, Astronomers Hold Differing Opinions as to When They Were Officially Observed In China. Messm. lliyarama and Ogura have published in the proceedings of the Tokio MathelnaUeoPhysical society the results of their attempts to tlx the dales of some early eclipses recorded in Chinese literature. The earliest is mentioned In one of the books of the Shu Olilng, where it is recorded that I in the reign of Chung K'ang. the fourth emperor of the Hsia dynasty, there occurred an eclipse of the sun which had not been predicted by the astronomers, who were alleged to have been drunk and to have neglected their duties. Hence the customary rites for delivering the sun, which should have been urranged by the astronomers, as-tronomers, were in the emergency performed by other officials without proper preparation. The emperor accordingly ac-cordingly odereil the army to punish the astronomers. A later document makes it possible to fix the date of this event as October 13, 2127 B. C. (Julian calendar) the earliest recorded record-ed eclipse in the world. Calculation shows that there actually was a solar eclipse on that date, but probably not In China, though the elements of the motions of the sun and moon are not accurate enough to indicate certainly the path of so remote an eclipse. The authors are inclined to think that the information fixing the date of the eclipse is due to Chinese astronomers of a later age, who calculated that an eclipse occurred on that date and erroneously er-roneously supposed that it was visible in China. |
