Brief introduction of Taosi ancient observatory

Taosi Ancient Observatory was discovered by China archaeologists in 2003 during the archaeological excavation of Taosi Site in Du Yao, Shaanxi Province. It is composed of 13 rammed earth columns, which are semi-circular, with a radius of10.5m and an arc length of19.5m. Observe the sunrise position of Ta 'er Mountain from the observation point through the gap of the earth columns, determine the season and solar terms, and arrange farming. The archaeological team copied the model at the original site for simulation measurement. Starting from the second slit, sunrise is the winter solstice, 12 slit is the summer solstice, and the seventh slit is the vernal equinox. The site of the ancient observatory is located in Taosi Town, Xiangfen County, Shanxi Province.

The Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences held a demonstration meeting on the function and scientific significance of large-scale special buildings in Taosi city site in Beijing on October 22-24, 2005. 15 astronomers from the Institute of Natural Science History of Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Astronomical Observatory, National Time Service Center, Beijing Ancient Observatory, Beijing Planetarium, School of Humanities of Shanghai Jiaotong University, Nanjing Purple Mountain Observatory and China Institute of Art and Archaeology of Xi Academy of Fine Arts basically affirmed that this large building is a relic of astronomical observation. However, there are still many archaeologists who are skeptical.