The Southern Asterisms (近南極星區)
The sky around the south celestial pole was unknown to ancient Chinese. Therefore, it was not included in the Three Enclosures and Twenty-Eight Mansions system. However, by the end of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Guangqi introduced another 23 asterisms based on the knowledge of western star charts. These asterisms were since incorporated into the traditional Chinese star maps.
The asterisms are :
| English name | Chinese name | Number of stars | Western Constellation |
| Sea and Mountain | 海山 | 6 | Carina/Centaurus/Musca/Vela (constellation) |
| Cross | 十字架 | 4 | Crux |
| Horse's Tail | 馬尾 | 3 | Centaurus |
| Horse's Abdomen | 馬腹 | 3 | Centaurus |
| Bee | 蜜蜂 | 4 | Musca |
| Triangle | 三角形 | 3 | Triangulum Australe |
| Exotic Bird | 異雀 | 9 | Apus / Octans |
| Peacock | 孔雀 | 11 | Pavo |
| Persia | 波斯 | 11 | Indus / Telescopium |
| Snake's Tail | 蛇尾 | 4 | Octans / Hydrus |
| Snake's Abdomen | 蛇腹 | 4 | Hydrus |
| Snake's Head | 蛇首 | 2 | Hydrus / Reticulum |
| Bird's Beak | 鳥喙 | 7 | Tucana |
| Crane | 鶴 | 12 | Grus / Tucana |
| Firebird | 火鳥 | 10 | Phoenix / Sculptor |
| Crooked Running Water | 水委 | 3 | Eridanus / Phoenix |
| White Patched Nearby | 附白 | 2 | Hydrus |
| White Patches Attached | 夾白 | 2 | Reticulum / Dorado |
| Goldfish | 金魚 | 5 | Dorado |
| Sea Rock | 海石 | 5 | Carina |
| Flying Fish | 飛魚 | 6 | Volans |
| Southern Boat | 南船 | 5 | Carina |
| Little Dipper | 小斗 | 9 | Chamaeleon |
Read more about this topic: Chinese Constellations
Famous quotes containing the word southern:
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)