Astronomy IN THE Abbasid Period PDF

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Work in the subject of astronomy was a logical consequence of the Muslim development of advanced mathematics. Muslim mathematicians devised formulas and methodologies that formed the groundwork for the study of the stars, while Islamic belief provided the impetus. The heavenly bodies and their movem...

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ASTRONOMY IN THE ABBASID PERIOD Work in the subject of astronomy was a logical consequence of the Muslim development of advanced mathematics. Muslim mathematicians devised formulas and methodologies that formed the groundwork for the study of the stars, while Islamic belief provided the impetus. The heavenly bodies and their movement are mentioned in numerous verses in the Quran. The sun and moon, according to the Quran, "move by accurate calculation." Furthermore, it adds that people can "be guided by them through the darkness of the land and sea" by looking to the stars. Allusions in the Quran to the mathematical nature of the sky were too much to ignore for an empire of Islam that spanned from the Atlantic Ocean to India. Muslim astronomers were the first to fully establish this field, with the Quran as a driving force. Astronomy and astrology were once synonymous, leading to incorrect scientific views about the impact of the stars on people's daily lives. Muslims were the first to distinguish between astronomy and astrology, which was based on guessing and mythology. Astronomers were gathered under the patronage of al-Ma'mun and the House of Wisdom to study Ptolemy's ancient theories, which were considered the definitive word on astronomy until Muslim times. The geocentricity of the world, or the belief that the earth is immobile and everything rotates around it, was central to Ptolemy's views. When Muslim astronomers discovered that Ptolemy's calculations for the movement of planets and stars were faulty and needed to be corrected, this immobile earth idea was called into question. While many just improved their formulas, others began to doubt Ptolemy's authority. Al-Biruni said in the eleventh century that Ptolemy never entirely demonstrated that the earth does not move in a scientific manner, and that it may indeed rotate on its axis. This, he claims, explains why Ptolemy's calculations were inaccurate because he didn't account for the earth's motion. While Muslim astronomers never entirely acknowledged the earth's rotation because of a lack of conclusive proof, it was certainly discussed among Muslim intellectuals. These discussions made their way to Europe via Latin

translations of al-works, Majriti's an Andalusian scholar who specialised in updating and enhancing astronomical tables and calculations. Even after his death, educated classes from all over Europe would flock to Iberia's Muslim realm to study al-and Majriti's others' writings. As Muslim astronomical concepts spread across Europe, scientists like Copernicus and Galileo built on them to develop the beliefs we now accept as reality. Muslims, unlike European astronomers, would not be persecuted by the religious authority for their beliefs. After all, scientific activities were regarded as a form of religion. Astronomy, like algebra, would have practical uses. The invention of the astrolabe was one of the most significant. The objective of this apparatus, devised by the ancient Greeks, was to determine one's latitude by using the stars. It merged the astrolabe's powers with Muslim scientists' more exact astronomical calculations, and it became a standard for navigation, particularly by ship. A navigator could identify his precise location by holding up an astrolabe to the night sky and calculating the position of particular constellations, then comparing that to handbooks that documented the latitudes of known locations around the world to assist chart course to a destination. For Muslims travelling large distances, getting to Mecca for the pilgrimage became considerably easier. Technology like this, which made travel easier, was essential for a civilization that stretched from Spain to India. The astrolabe revolutionised sailing and was the norm for navigating until the 1700s....