Islamic astronomy and the Zij tables

What was discovered

Abbasid astronomers verified and corrected Ptolemy with new observations, measured the obliquity of the ecliptic and the length of a meridian degree, and compiled highly precise tables (zij). Al-Battani refined the solar year and precession.

Al-Khwarizmi's Zij al-Sindhind combined Indian, Persian and Greek sources.

What it led to

• Transmission of Greek astronomy to Europe
• Toledan and Alfonsine tables
• Spherical trigonometry

Built on

• Ptolemaic geocentric model (Almagest)c. 150
• Almagest and Ptolemy theoremc. 150 CE
• House of Wisdom and the translation movementc. 830

Made possible

• Al-Farghani's Compendium of Astronomy (Alfraganus)c. 833
• Astronomical quadrantc. 850
• Habash al-Hasib's tangent and cotangent tablesc. 850
• Islamic planispheric astrolabec. 900
• Al-Battani's tropical year and solar apogee motionc. 900
• Ibn Yunus' Hakimi Zij1007
• Toledan Tables and the motion of the solar apogeec. 1080
• Maragheh observatory and the Tusi couple1259
• Improved astrolabe
• Spherical trigonometry

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