Albategnius biography of abraham
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For al-Battani refraction had little effect on his meridian observations at the winter solstice because, at his more southerly site of ar-Raqqah, the sun was higher in the sky. We owe to him the first numerical determination of the Eccentricity of the Earth's orbit, as well as the discovery of the shift of its apsides against the direction of the zodiac signs.
His rigorous mathematical approach highlights the need for quantitative analysis and precision in scientific modeling. He writes:-
While al-Battani takes no critical attitude towards the Ptolemaic kinematics in general, he evidences ... His observational techniques likely involved using sophisticated astrolabes and possibly rudimentary versions of quadrants or other angle-measuring instruments.
Al-Battani was born in Harran, called Carrhae in earlier times by the Romans, which lies on the Balikh River, 38 km southeast of Urfa. His "Kitab-al-Zij" was translated into Latin by Plato of Tivoli (= Tiburtinus) in 1116.[2] It was first printed in Nuremberg in 1537 under the title "Scientia Stellarum", edited by Philipp Melanchthon, with annotations by Regiomontanus[3][4], reissued in 1645.The town of ar-Raqqah, where most of al-Battani's observations were made, became prosperous when Harun al-Rashid, who became the fifth Caliph of the Abbasid dynasty on 14 September 786, built several palaces there.
The lunar crater Albategnius is named after him. The name certainly makes the identification fairly certain and the fact that al-Battani himself was skilled in making astronomical instruments is a good indication that he learnt these skills from his father.
He also recognized the movement of the Apogee, calculated the length of the solar year to be 365 days, 5 hours, 46 minutes, and 24 seconds, and utilized a House System known to Rhetorius (500 AD) and later attributed to Alcabitius. His birth period is estimated between 850 and 869 depending on the source, with 858 AD generally cited.
The Kitab-al-Zij is structured as follows (consisting of 57 chapters)[1]:
- It begins with a description of the division of the celestial sphere into the Zodiac and into degrees. His mathematical techniques were rooted in the existing Greek tradition, particularly Ptolemaic astronomy, but he significantly improved upon them.
These examples demonstrate the breadth and depth of Al-Battani's contributions, highlighting the lasting influence of his meticulous work on the development of astronomy. He employed advanced trigonometry, developing more accurate methods for calculating angles and distances in the celestial sphere.
Albategnius
Muhammad ibn Jabir ibn Sinan al-Battani, known as Al-Battani, Albategnius, or Albatanius, Arabic: أبو عبد الله محمد بن جابر بن سنان الحراني الصابي البتاني, was an Arab-Muslim astronomer and astrologer.
His family had been members of the Sabian sect, a religious sect of star worshippers from Harran.
This point still appears unclear.