A Study of the 1668 Deungrok, Records of Celestial Phenomena from the Joseon Dynasty

Abstract

This paper will introduce and overview in general the Seongbyeon Deungrok issued by the Gwansang-gam, the Astronomical Board in the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. All the Chinese characters in the 1668 Seongbyeon Deungrok was deciphered at first and these were translated into Korean and English. With these translations and the word ‘white vapor’ in particular we discuss the nature of the main object in this Deungrok. Lastly, names of observers who engaged in the observations of this 1668 celestial, which are made as a by-product of this research, are introduced.

Keywords

• comet
• guest star
• white vapor
• phenomena
• Seongbyeon Deungrok
• Seungjeong-won Ilgi
• Cheomseong-dae