May 6, 1998
Long before your first heartbeat, stars were busy forging the elements you would one day call your own.
Beijing Ancient Observatory
Birthday · May 6, 1998
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APOD published May 6, 1998. Full image credits are on the original APOD entry below. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Did observatories exist before telescopes? One example that still stands today is the Beijing Ancient Observatory in China. Starting in the 1400s astronomers erected large instruments here to enable them to measure star and planet positions with increasing accuracy. Pre-telescopic observatories throughout the world date back to before recorded history, providing measurements that helped to determine when to plant crops, how to navigate ships, and when religious ceremonies should occur. The above hand-painted lantern slide was originally taken in 1895.