In Chinese astronomy, three pairs of stars in Columba depicted three generations of a family. Alpha and Epsilon Columbae were Zhangren, an old farmer; Beta and either Lambda or Gamma were Zi, his son; while Kappa and Theta or Delta were Sun, his grandson. A star in the north of Columba, possibly Nu-2 or Mu, was Shi, droppings from the celestial toilet Ce in Lepus.

• Ian Ridpath, Star Tales – Columba http://www.ianridpath.com/startales/columba.html

The modern constellation Columba lies across two of the quadrants, symbolized by the White Tiger of the West (西方白虎, Xī Fāng Bái Hǔ) and the Vermillion Bird of the South (南方朱雀, Nán Fāng Zhū Què), that divide the sky in traditional Chinese uranography.

The name of the western constellation in modern Chinese is 天鴿座 (tiān gē zuò), meaning “the heaven dove constellation”.

The map of Chinese constellation in constellation Columba area consists of :

Four Symbols	Mansion (Chinese name)	Romanization	Translation	Asterisms (Chinese name)	Romanization	Translation	Western star name	Chinese star name	Romanization	Translation
White Tiger of the West (西方白虎)	參	Shēn	Three Stars	屎	Shǐ	Excrement	μ Col[1]	屎	Shǐ	(One star of)
Vermilion Bird of the South (南方朱雀)	井	Jǐng	Well	丈人	Zhàngrén	Grandfather
							α Col[2]
								丈人一	Zhàngrényī	1st star
								丈人北星	Zhàngrénběixīng	Northern star
							ε Col[2]	丈人二	Zhàngrénèr	2nd star
				子	Zǐ	Son
							λ Col[2]	子一	Zǐyī	1st star
							β Col[2]	子二	Zǐèr	2nd star
							γ Col	子增一	Zǐzēngyī	1st additional star
				孫	Sūn	Grandson
							κ Col[2]	孫一	Sūnyī	1st star
							θ Col[2]	孫二	Sūnèr	2nd star
							δ Col	孫增三	Sūnzēngsān	3rd additional star

See also

• Traditional Chinese star names
• Chinese constellations

References

1. (in Chinese) AEEA (Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy) 天文教育資訊網 2006 年 7 月 15 日
2. (in Chinese) AEEA (Activities of Exhibition and Education in Astronomy) 天文教育資訊網 2006 年 7 月 16 日

External links

• Columba – Chinese associations
• 香港太空館研究資源
  • 中國星區、星官及星名英譯表
  • 天象文學
• 台灣自然科學博物館天文教育資訊網
  • 中國古天文
  • 中國古代的星象系統

Categories: 

• Astronomy in China
• Columba (constellation)