Islamic Astronomy

1. Islamic Astronomy By: Danielle Fishman and Elizabeth Thompson

2. Overview • Astronomy was seen as way to see what God has planned for the people. • It stimulated the study of geometry. • Astronomy was improved due to the construction of observatories. • It was influenced by many cultures including the Sassanid, Hellenistic, and Indian. • If learning had remained important, astronomy would have continued to develop. • Many basic concepts of astronomy were developed. • Helped people find their way by land and by sea • Astronomy was first developed by the Babylonians.

3. Friezes depicting pictures pertaining to an astrological subject began to appear in mosques. Islamic calendar created in 638 by the order of Caliph Umar Based on the cycles of the moon 12 months Months were 29 and 39 days each Periodic leap years Calendar starts with the year of the Hijira (Muhammad’s migration to Medina) as year one Every year after that is marked with A. H. for after the Hijira. Encouraged by the Qu’ran “[Allah] has appointed for you the stars that by them you might be guided in the shadows of land and sea.” Contacts with the Greeks and Persians increased. Led to translation of works from Greek philosophers, such as Aristotle, to the Arabic language. Astronomy during the Umayyad

4. Astronomy during the Abbasids • Many Muslim scholars were responsible for the success of astronomy. • Al Battani- wrote the Sabinan tables, timed new moons, calculated the length of the solar year, and predicted eclipse. • Al-Biruni- said earth rotated on an axis, found the earth’s circumference, and found the direction of Mecca from any direction. • Al Fraghani - wrote the astrolabe, wrote a book on cosmology • Al Sufi- studied motion of the sun, made many observations about stars including their position and color, made drawings of the stars for a map of the stars, worked on the astrolabe • Astrolabe-could tell what the sky was like a specific time in a specific place, was important to Islam because it could tell prayer times and helped find the direction to Mecca

5. Copernicus (1473-1543), a Polish astronomer, proposed that all planets in the solar system rotate around the sun Talked about how much al- Battani’s calculations helped him This is also the case for many European scientists (both Christian and Jewish), such as Ibn Ezra, Maimonides, Levi Ben Gerson, Robertus Cestrensis, Albertus Magnus, Alphonso X, Regiomontanus, Nicolas Cusanus, Copernicus, and Tycho Brahe Nasir al-Din, in 1274, built a huge observatory at Maraghash Model for observatories to come Preservation of Ancient Greek Texts on Astronomy Books were translated from Arabic to Latin Islamic maps Islamic mapmakers worked together with astronomers for a more complete view of Earth In high demand by European sailors Impact on Modern Society

6. Sources • http://school.eb.com/all/eb/article-29325?query=islam%20astronomy&ct=null • http://www.muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=232 • http://www.astrolabes.org/ • http://www.astrolabes.org/history.htm • http://www.mideasti.org/library/intro-to-islam/islamic-civilization-overview • Doak, Robin S. Islamic Empire. New York: Facts On File, Incorporated, 2004. • Geanakoplos, Deno J. Western Medieval Civilization. Lexington: D. C. Heath Canada, Limited, 1979. • Kennedy, Hugh. When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World : The Rise and Fall of Islam's Greatest Dynasty. New York: Perseus Books Group, 2005.