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

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. Shi’s Star Catalog, however, has been infamously difficult to date, not least because this one catalog depicts star positions that seem to span multiple centuries. “In comparison, the Western tradition’s oldest known catalog, the Ptolemaic Star Catalog (2nd century CE), likely derives from the Hipparchus Star Catalog (2nd century BCE). Thus, Shi’s Star Catalog is identified as the world’s oldest known star catalog,” they added. Some scientists, however, have a different theory: The instrument used to record Shi’s Star Catalog was off by one degree.