Verbiest's Astronomical Instruments

Timeline

1. 1669–1672Beijing Astronomical Bureau Observatory · BeijingAfter the calendar case was overturned, Kangxi ordered Verbiest to manage the calendar and rebuild the observatory instruments. In the 8th year of Kangxi the Ministry of Works allocated copper, iron, beeswax and other materials to cast six large bronze instruments and cast-iron railings; over the following years further funds were requested for gilding the stars, railings, and artisans' wages, moving the project from design into large-scale casting.
2. 1673Roof of the Beijing Ancient Observatory · BeijingThe six large instruments were installed on the platform by the end of 1673: the ecliptic armillary, equatorial armillary, horizon armillary, quadrant (altitude instrument), sextant, and celestial globe. Verbiest removed and stored the old Ming instruments, shifting the observatory's observational system from the traditional armillary sphere and simplified instrument to Tycho-style Western instruments, with precision and division of labor rearranged according to European manuals.
3. 1674Beijing Astronomical Bureau · BeijingIn 1674 Verbiest presented the Xinzhi Lingtai Yixiang Zhi, explaining the structure, installation, and observation procedures of the six instruments, with star charts and ecliptic/equatorial coordinate tables for over 1,800 stars, institutionalizing the new instruments as the basis for the Astronomical Bureau's daily observations, eclipse calculations, and calendar promulgation. The instruments long remained at the Ancient Observatory as the material core of official astronomy in the early Qing.