A Map of the Stars (天文圖 Tien wen tu)
The “Map of the Stars,” also known as the Suzhou Planisphere, is a star chart engraved by Wang Zhiyuan in 1247 based on an earlier drawing by Confucian scholar Huang Shang created in 1193. This chart depicts 1,434 stars in 280 asterisms, patterns of stars in the sky akin to constellations, with accompanying text listing the name of each star as a sort of key or legend. The representation of astrological and astronomical information in the form of a map is among the earliest examples of data visualization, whose purpose is to help people better understand the information recorded as well as identify any potential patterns or trends. In China, these charts were used for divination, navigation, agricultural calendars, cosmology, and to record astronomical observations.
