Open a Korean calendar and you may spot names such as Ipchun (Beginning of Spring), Haji (Summer Solstice), Chubun (Autumnal Equinox) and Dongji (Winter Solstice). These are part of the 24 solar terms. Far from being merely poetic names, they helped people connect observation of the sky with farming, rituals and everyday routines.
How did the sky become a practical calendar?
The 24 solar terms mark stages in the Sun's apparent annual movement. They are not simply dates in the lunar calendar. Their names helped organize seasonal knowledge, though the weather on any particular date can differ from what the name suggests.
The first section of a special exhibition in Daejeon, “Observing: Reading the Sky,” explores how observations and calculations became written calendars. Rather than treating the displays as a list of antique instruments, ask: Who organized time, and how did households use it?
From calendars to fields and homes
The second section, “Passing It On: Connecting to Life,” shows why seasonal knowledge mattered beyond specialists. Choosing when to sow or harvest involved an understanding of recurring changes, and late-Joseon thinkers sought ways to explain such knowledge in the language of everyday life.
Seeing the seasons in daily habits
The third section, “Living with the Solar Terms,” looks at seasonal foods, customs and the rhythm of ordinary days. Try comparing today's weather with the solar term printed on a calendar. The point is not to insist that nature follows each label exactly, but to notice how people have learned to observe it.
Planning a visit
The National Science Museum's K-Museum touring exhibition “Twenty-Four: Reading the Sky, Sustaining the Land” is officially listed for 3 November–6 December 2026, at the Korean History of Science and Technology Hall, second floor of the Science and Technology Building, in Daejeon. Listed hours are 09:30–17:30, and admission to this exhibition hall is free. Address: 481 Daedeok-daero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. Other museum halls and experiences may require separate paid admission or reservations. Check the museum's closure calendar and any day-of changes before setting out.
This is a cultural reading of Korea's solar terms, not a promise that all activities or guided programs will be available. The exhibition gives visitors a place to explore how astronomy became part of everyday life.