Researchers Claim Ancient Chinese Star Catalog Is the Oldest of Its Kind—But Not Everyone’s Convinced

Humans have been stargazing for thousands—possibly hundreds of thousands of years. Ancient people around the globe looked to the heavens for physical and spiritual guidance. Dozens and dozens of generations later, their descendants are now arguing over which civilization created the oldest known visual star catalog in the world. Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ National Astronomical Observatories claim that Shi’s Star Catalog, the oldest known star catalog in China, is actually the earliest known star catalog, period. They reached this conclusion using a technique that accounts for potential human errors made thousands of years ago. If their results prove to be true, it would mean that Shi’s Star Catalog is centuries older than the other first place contender—the one created by Greek astronomer Hipparchus. But not everyone in the scientific community is convinced. “In comparison to the observation epochs of other ancient star catalogs worldwide, the Shi’s Star Catalo ... Read full article.