How Islam Impacted Astronomy
"It is He who created the night and the day and the sun and the moon; all [heavenly bodies] in an orbit are swimming" (Noble Quran 21:33). The first planet outside of our solar system was discovered in 1995 and The Qur’an remarkably referred to many heavens and earths in 632 CE. Verses in the Quran command man to contemplate about outer space and the creation of the heavens and the earth. They even go as far to mention specific names of planets and stars, “And that He is the Lord of Sirius (a star that was worshipped by pagan Arabs) (Noble Quran 53: 49). The Holy Quran is a book of knowledge and Islam encourages man to study and understand the universe. Muslim scientists watched the changing sky to understand how
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These improvements wouldn’t have been possible without their contributions in mathematics, such as inventing algebra and developing advanced trigonometry which allowed Islamic scholars to make complex calculations. Originally invented by the Greeks, the astrolabe was refined the Islamic astronomers. They improved its accuracy and elegance. These new astrolabes were independent of latitude and also incorporated complex gearing mechanisms which, tracked celestial bodies. Other Greek inventions that were improved, were mural sextants and quadrants that measured astronomical positions and celestial bodies in seconds of an arc. Muslims continued to make larger and more accurate instruments. The first planisphere tracked the movements of stars and constellations over a year and it is considered one of the first analogue computers. The equitorium was also invented by Islamic astronomers who used it to chart the movement of the sun, moon, and planets. Their contribution to astronomy cannot be ignored since many of their findings proved useful for other great astronomers. Other than improving on Ptolemy’s finding, Arabic astronomers compiled almanacs and astronomical tables such as Toledan tables, which would be used by Copernicus, Brahe and Kepler. They invented the Equatorium, compass dial, and cartographic Qiblah instruments. They also discovered many stars, which are still recognized by their Arabic names such as Betelgeuse, Alhadide, Rigel, Algol, Aldebaran, Almucantar, and the stars of the Summer Triangle, The Arabic influence can also be seen in terms, such as zenith, nadir, Aledo, azimuth. Muslim astronomers were also the first to establish a large number of huge observatories. In these observatories, Muslims excelled in making ephemeris, which relied on complicated and precise mathematical calculations. Islamic scholars, astronomers and mathematicians
The surest foundation for the origin of science in its practical form is to be found in the ìco–rdination and standardization of the knowledge of common sense and of industry.î[1] One of the first occurrences of this co–rdination can be traced back to 2500 BCE in the form of edicts from the ancient Babylonian rulers, who issued royal standards of length, weight and capacity. Non-Semitic Sumerians also laid down the elements of mathematics and geometry at that time, making use of fractions, decimals, circles and radial angles. But knowledge as we know it today was tightly woven with magical notions, and as both spread westward they instilled in European thought a reverence for ìspecial numbers, their connections to the gods and the application of geometrical diagrams to the prediction of the future.î[2] As well, the ancient Babylonians were fascinated by the heavens. They were the first to make a map of the stars and associate them with animals like the Ram, Crab and Scorpion, names that we still use to this day. They also realized the periodicity and reliability of astronomical movement and phenomena, and were soon able to predict many of them. Tablets have been found dating to the sixth century BCE that predicted the relative positions of the sun and moon, as well as forecasted the occurrences of eclipses.[3] Out of all this knowledge the Babylonians built up a fantastic system of astrology, through which the starsówhich were thought to fix and foretell the course of human affairsówould give up their secrets.
Natural philosophy might have played a much smaller role in Islamic science but is not to be overlooked. Al ma’mun built observatories as high as three stories in order to gain a better understanding of the cosmos. With these tools, Islamic astronomers made accurate descriptions of the heavens and created their own geocentric views of the orbits of the heavenly bodies. Attached to many of these observatories were great libraries. Islamic libraries contained a wealth of knowledge which was taken from other civilizations and translated to Arabic such as the House of Wisdom. These libraries had upwards of 2 million books, a massive accomplishment considering they did not have movable type. The Islamic Empire also saw great advances in mathematical understanding with the creation of trigonometry and algebra.
The Aztecs also used mathematics for astronomy. Kind of amazing right? Although most of their information in math astronomy was lost there is a pretty good synthesis of the remaining information in the book “Skywatchers” by Anthony Aveni. For example the Aztecs calculated that the cycle of Venus was 584 days. The aztecs even did the math to workout out the eclipse season although they didn’t know the shape of the earth or the size. Even though they figured out when
Thousands of years ago, ancient people looked up at the night sky and spotted unfamiliar objects in the sky, known as stars. Some people saw the stars as a tool to navigate at night and to keep up with the seasons. Others were completely clueless about what the stars were and why there were up in the sky. This eventually led to curiosity and the beginning of astronomy. The very first astronomers grouped stars into constellations, which basically is connecting the stars to make an imaginary outline of people, object, or animals. This allowed the astronomers to keep track of the movement of the planets and the sun, which allowed them to create the very first accurate calendar to know when it was the right time to harvest and plant.
Ancient Greece, China, and India all had major contributions in the fields of science and math. All three of those ancient civilizations made such great contributions that they are still used today by many people. We use these contributions in school, work, and in our general every day lives. Although we don’t use the exact inventions that they created, we now use alterations of them every day. Greece’s discoveries have more of an influence on us today than those of India and China because we use these discoveries more often in the field of astronomy, theoretical sciences, important technology, and everyday mathematics.
Galileo used this great invention to report astronomical facts such as the moon is cover with craters instead of being smooth, the Milky Way is composed of millions of stars, and Jupiter have four moons. Perhaps the most famous discovery is the Earth revolves around the Sun and the Earth is not the center of the universe (even though he was discredited at the time).
People have looked to the stars for information since the beginning of time. There is no way to look up on a clear night and not see the stars. Ancient astronomers recorded the positions of planets and stars. The Babylonian’s handed down this data to the Greeks. This information about the constellation system is still in use today. Stars have been used to predict the future, preserve stories of legends and myths, navigation across oceans, and mapping the constellations.
What comes to mind when you think about ethics and ethical situations? Ethics are moral principles that govern a person or groups behaviors. Ethics could be described as someone’s beliefs on what is right from wrong. If one feels guilty about the result of an action then that would likely determine that the action or behavior is wrong or unethical. I believe that the welfare program is intended to be ethical, but there are people receiving benefits that are not portraying ethical actions. There are a few problems with how the welfare program is managed today. I believe the welfare program enables people receiving benefits, the guidelines should be stricter, and the program could possibly be eliminated.
...ime period in a positive scientific light. The distinction between modern and medieval science was described as medieval science being more theoretical in nature and modern being of the more applied variety. Through the further presentation of the plethora of Islamic scientists, covering fields as diverse as astronomy, medicine, chemistry, and physics it has been shown, without a doubt, that significant scientific contributions were made in this period. Finally, the source of this misconception was exposed through the common accidental perception of the past as a European narrative. History can easily be focused around Europe, and to do so produces a view of the medieval era being stagnant. However, when one looks at the greater global picture, it is clear that the Islamic world more than makes up for this lull in innovation, successfully brightening the “Dark Age”.
In the Middle Ages, besides a research on the structure of the universe, astronomers have been
They preserved many important medical texts, which had a great influence on European medicine. They made advances in astronomy, mathematics, trigonometry, and mapmaking. They used elaborate calligraphy to decorate many buildings and also to give glory to their god, Allah. The Muslims also contributed in some architectural feats, such as the dome. They contributed literature, poetry, tradework, and industry as well.
In Islamic teachings, Prophet Idris of the Old testament had immense knowledge of the heavenly sciences. His main objective was to spread the knowledge of the cosmos. He was the first to spread the knowledge of astronomy throughout babylonia which then spread to egypt. Through Egypt came the huge fascination with astrology. From there stems the beginning of using the stars to predict the future.
Ibn al Haytham was a Muslim innovator born in 965 in Basra. He is also known as Alhazen and The First Scientist. In his time, Alhazen was able to invent the first pinhole camera and a camera obscura. Before Alhazen, scientists believed that they did not have to scientifically prove their findings, however, he knew better. Every experiment or hypothesis Alhazen came up with, he submitted it to a physical test and/or proof using mathematic equations. (“Arab Inventors”)
Astronomy dates back to ancient times when peoples such as the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Chinese kept written records of astronomical events and occurrences. Today’s seven day week originates from the Babylonians’ seven important bodies in the night sky: the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. The ancient Egyptians used the stars to align their pyramids and many of their corridors in almost perfect north-south or east-west directions. The Chinese were experts at predicting solar eclipses. They believed that a solar eclipse was a dangerous warning. Chinese astronomers were executed if they failed to predict an eclipse.
...roups that have been important to astronomy are the Akkadians, Egyptians, Chinese, Polynesians, and the Greeks. They used astronomy for navigation at sea, creating accurate calendars, making new inventions, and many more things! Some modern jobs in astronomy include Educational, Private industries, National Observatories and Laboratories. Also, some technical advances because of astronomy include many telescopes, tracking programs used by FedEx, and IRAF which is used to analyze computer systems. Even though astronomy is an incredibly interesting field, there are minimum job opportunities. Some of the jobs are included in the following fields: education, national observatories and laboratories, or in private industries. Astronomy has been the key to unlocking many new inventions and by connecting things from the past, to the present, and going into the future.