The armillary sphere was invented by Zhang Heng.

An armillary sphere is a general term for an armillary sphere and an armillary sphere. The armillary sphere is an instrument for measuring the spherical coordinates of celestial bodies, while the armillary sphere is an instrument used in ancient times to demonstrate celestial phenomena. They were made by Zhang Heng, an astronomer of the Eastern Han Dynasty in China.

How the early structure has not been recorded. And the earliest detailed structural record is the two-fold ring copper Hunxiang made by the Eastern Jin Dynasty historian Chancellor Nanyang Kong Ting in the sixth year of Guangchu, that is, A.D. 323, which consisted of the Hexagram and the Four Traveling Instruments.

Hunyi

Hunyi was an observational instrument with a peep tube, also known as a telescope, used to determine the equatorial coordinates of the stars and celestial bodies in the twilight, the first day of the week, and the middle of the night, as well as the ecliptic longitude and horizon coordinates of celestial bodies. The armillary sphere consists of the early four traveler's instruments and the equatorial ring.

From the Han Dynasty to the Northern Song Dynasty, the armillary sphere added the ecliptic ring, the horizon ring, the meridian ring, the hexagram, the white circle, the inner equatorial ring, the equinoctial ring, and the red meridian ring. In the Northern Song Dynasty, Shen Kuo canceled the ecliptic ring and changed the position of some rings. Guo Shoujing in the Yuan Dynasty canceled the ecliptic ring, and the original armillary sphere is divided into two independent instruments: simple instrument and standing instrument.