Joseph Needham, author of Science and Civilization in China, points out that the Chinese also pioneered in astronomical coordinates, instruments, and an "open" view of the universe.
「中國之科學與文明」的作者李約瑟曾提到，除了天文紀錄，中國對世界天文學還有天文座標法、儀器以及「開放」的宇宙觀等貢獻。