MUL.APIN is the name of the Mesopotamian artifact containing the earliest known detailed star catalog. It is a Babylonian compendium of astronomical and calendrical knowledge, preserved on tablets copied during the first millennium BCE.
The title means “The Plough,” referring to the opening constellation or star group. The work lists stars and constellations, describes the rising and setting of celestial bodies, and records information about calendars, timekeeping, and the movements of the Sun, Moon, and planets.
MUL.APIN is not a single observation made on one night. It is a scholarly collection that reflects generations of Mesopotamian sky-watching and scribal transmission. It should also be distinguished from the Venus Tablet of Ammisaduqa, which records observations of Venus and is an earlier, more specialized text.