STARS: Major | All | Constellations | Chinese | About
09♑01 to 17♑20
The 8th Chinese lunar mansion is named 斗宿 Dǒu Su, “Dipper Mansion.” It is the 1st of the 7 mansions of the Black Tortoise of the North.
The 3rd asterism of the Dipper Mansion is called 天弁 Tiānbiàn, “Market Officer,” representing officials of the market. It is composed of 9 stars of the constellations Aquila and Scutum. [1]
| 2000 | 2050 | IAU | Chinese | Orb |
| 09♑01 | 09♑43 | α Sct | Tianbian Yi (1) | 1°00′ |
| 10♑45 | 11♑27 | δ Sct | Tianbian Er (2) | 1°00′ |
| 11♑08 | 11♑50 | ε Sct | Tianbian San (3) | 1°00′ |
| 12♑22 | 13♑05 | β Sct | Tianbian Si (4) | 1°20′ |
| 14♑50 | 15♑32 | η Sct | Tianbian Wu (5) | 1°00′ |
| 16♑02 | 16♑45 | i Aql | Tianbian Liu (6) | 1°20′ |
| 17♑20 | 18♑02 | λ Aql | Tianbian Qi (7) | 1°40′ |
| 17♑06 | 17♑48 | h Aql | Tianbian Ba (8) | 1°00′ |
| 16♑36 | 17♑18 | g Aql | Tianbian Jiu (9) | 1°00′ |
Tianbian the Market Officer
09♑01 to 17♑20
The Tianbian Star Official is located north of the Dou (Dipper) Official Group. Its shape resembles an official’s hat, symbolizing an official who manages the market. According to the Gan Shi Xing Jing, the nine stars of Tianbian are located north of Jianxing (Establishment) and near Tianhan (the Milky Way). They are the heads of the city officials, and their brightness is regarded as an omen of the rise and fall of all things. [2]
Ma Duanlin (1317)
The nine stars of Tianbian, north of Jian and entering the river, represent the head of the market officials, in charge of shops, markets, and market registers, indicating the availability of goods. Bright stars are auspicious. A comet encroaching on the Jian star indicates high prices for grain and war. [3]
Song History (1346)
Tianbian (天弁), also known as the Nine Stars Bian (九星弁), is located north of the Jianxing (建星). It represents the chief official in charge of the markets. It oversees the listing of shops, market stalls, and commercial activities, as well as records of merchants, to assess the value of goods traded in the marketplace. When it is bright and prosperous, all things flourish; when it is not bright or when it is invaded by comets or other celestial bodies, grain prices rise. If any celestial body remains in this region for an extended length of time, prisoners will rebel with arms. [4]