Wuxingzhan
170 BCE text on astronomy and astrology, Hunan
The Wuxingzhan (五星占), translated to English as the Prognostications of the Five Planets, is a 170 BCE text on astronomy and astrology found in Mawangdui tomb, near Changsha, Hunan. The text was compiled around the Han Dynasty period in China. Thought to be lost, the text was rediscovered during the 1970s.
Contents
The text is about nine chapters covering different planets: Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Mercury. The Wuxingzhan provides numerical data on the visibility and movement of the five classical planets in a non-classical order. It also includes original excerpts from ancient Chinese astronomical works by Gan De and Shi Shen.
Saturn
The Wuxingzhan states that Saturn's orbital period is 30 years, in comparison, the Grand Inception Calendar says 29.79 years. Much like the calendar, the Wuxingzhan is more concerned with calendrical accuracy than relying on mere astrology.
Venus
In terms of Venus, the Wuxingzhan states that the planet is visible for 224 days, correcting the 240 days noted in other sources, likely due to a copying error. Venus's true orbital period is about 224.70 days, but early Chinese astronomers struggled to define it clearly due to its position relative to the sun.
The public source identifies “Wuxingzhan” as 170 BCE text on astronomy and astrology, Hunan. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Wuxingzhan, text and astronomy.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Wuxingzhan”, the useful work is to connect “170 BCE text on astronomy and astrology, Hunan” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q18858354. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Wuxingzhan”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Wuxingzhan primary sources, Wuxingzhan archive and Wuxingzhan research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Wuxingzhan”?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
- Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Wuxingzhan” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.