User:AnOriginalWikiName/Al-Farghani
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Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn Kathīr al-Farghānī (Arabic: أبو العبّاس أحمد بن محمد بن كثير الفرغاني; 800/805–870), also known as Alfraganus in the West, was an astronomer in the Abbasid court in Baghdad, and one of the most famous astronomers in the 9th century. Al-Farghani composed several works on astronomy and astronomical equipment that were widely distributed in Arabic and Latin and were influential to many scientists. His best known work, Kitāb fī Jawāmiʿ ʿIlm al-Nujūmi (whose name translates to Elements of astronomy on the celestial motions), was an extensive summary of Ptolemy's Almagest containing revised experimental data. Among those influenced by al-Farghani's works were Copernicus, who is said to have used al-Farghani’s calculation of the diameter of the Earth in his own calculations, and Christopher Columbus, who used the same calculation for his voyages to America. In addition to making substantial contributions to astronomy, al-Farghani also worked as an engineer, supervising construction projects on rivers in Cairo, Egypt. The lunar crater Alfraganus is named after him.
Al-Farghānī | |
---|---|
Born | 9th century |
Died | 9th century |
Academic background | |
Influences | Ptolemy |
Academic work | |
Era | Islamic Golden Age |
Main interests | Astronomy |
Notable works | The compendium (jawāmiʿ) of the Almagest, Treatise on the Astrolabe |
Influenced | Christopher Columbus, Nicolaus Copernicus, Al‐Jūzjānī, al-Bīrūnī, Al-Qabisi |