Dunhuang Star Maps

Dunhuang Star Chart (S.3326) and The Purple Forbidden Enclosure (Dunbo 076) are referred to as Dunhuang Star Maps, with the former known as Version A and the latter Version B. Dunhuang Star Chart measures a total length of 330 centimeters, but the beginning is missing. The preserved front half contains Meteorological Divination, while the latter half presents Dunhuang Star Chart, with a depiction of a lightning deity and an inscription at the end. The original author of Dunhuang Star Chart is believed to be Li Chunfeng, a renowned astrologer from the early Tang Dynasty.

Dunhuang Star Chart, created over 1,300 years ago, consists of 13 illustrations accompanied by explanatory texts depicting 1,348 stars visible to the naked eye from the Tang-dynasty royal observatory. It holds the distinction of being the oldest, most comprehensive star chart in existence, recording the highest number of stars. The chart portrays the entire night sky in a remarkably "modern" manner, with the first 12 illustrations using cylindrical projection to create 12-celestial-hour-angle diagrams, while the final illustration employs azimuthal projection for a polar star diagram.

Dunhuang Star Maps occupy a significant position in the history of world astronomy. Dr. Joseph Needham, a renowned British historian of Chinese science and technology, stated that there were very few, if any, comparable traditions in Europe before the Renaissance that could be likened to China's tradition of astronomical cartography.

敦煌星圖

敦煌文獻S.3326《全天星圖》和敦博076《紫微垣星圖》，又分別被稱為敦煌星圖甲本、乙本。其中《全天星圖》總長330厘米，卷首不存，現存前半部為《云氣占》，后半部為《全天星圖》，尾部繪一電神并有題記。《全天星圖》的原作者被認為是唐初著名的天文星占家李淳風。

《全天星圖》繪制于1300多年前，它包括13幅圖和相應的說明文字，描繪了唐朝皇家觀星臺中肉眼所能見到的1348顆星星。它是世界上現存記錄星數最多，也是最古老的一幅星圖。它用一種相當“現代”的方式描繪了整個星空，前 12 幅用圓柱形投影法繪制十二時角圖，最后一幅又用方位投影法繪制環北極星圖。

敦煌星圖在世界天文學史上占有十分重要的地位。英國著名的中國科技史學家李約瑟博士甚至說：“歐洲在文藝復興以前可以和中國天圖制圖傳統相提并論的東西，可以說很少，甚至簡直就沒有。”