8. Al-Battani
Full Name: Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Jabir ibn Sinan al-Raqqi al-Harrani
Born: c. 858 CE, near Harran
Died: 929 CE
Main Interests: Mathematics, Astronomy, and Astrology
Notable Ideas: Trigonometric relationships
Major Works: _Kitab al-Zij_
Al-Battani is sometimes known by the Latin version of his name: Albategnius, Albategni, or Albatenius.
Early Life and Career: Abdullah Muhammad ibn Jabir ibn Sinan al-Battani al-Harrani was born around 858 CE in Harran. Battani was first educated by his father, Jabir ibn Sinan, who was also a renowned scientist. He then moved to Raqqa, located on the banks of the Euphrates River, where he received advanced education and later flourished as a scholar. At the beginning of the 9th century, he moved to Samarra, where he worked until the end of his life.
His family had been members of the Sabian sect, a religious sect of star worshippers in Harran. Being worshippers of the stars meant that the Sabians had a strong motivation to study astronomy.
Al-Battani’s Main Achievements:
1. He cataloged 489 stars.
2. He defined the existing value for the length of the year as 365 days, 5 hours, 46 minutes, 24 seconds, and also for the seasons.
3. He calculated the precession of the equinoxes as 54.5" per year and obtained a value of 23° 35' for the obliquity of the ecliptic.
Instead of using geometric methods, as other scientists did, al-Battani used trigonometric methods, which was an important advancement. Al-Battani made remarkably accurate astronomical observations in Antioch and Raqqa, Syria. The city of ar-Raqqa, where most of al-Battani’s observations were made, became prosperous when Caliph Harun al-Rashid built many palaces there.
_Al-Fihrist_ describes al-Battani as one of the most famous observers and leaders in geometry, theoretical and practical astronomy, and astrology. He composed a work on astronomy with tables, including his own observations of the Sun and Moon and a more accurate description of their motion than that given in Ptolemy’s _Almagest_.
This was an important advancement. Al-Battani showed that the Sun’s distance from Earth varies and, as a result, annular eclipses of the Sun, as well as total eclipses, are possible.
Al-Battani is important in the development of science for many reasons, but one of them is the great influence his work had on scientists like Tycho Brahe, Kepler, Galileo, and Copernicus.
Death: All historians agree that al-Battani died in 317 AH / 929 CE near the city of Mosul in Iraq. He is considered one of the most famous Arab astronomers.
Want me to fix the typos in the original Hindi text too? Like _किताबज़-ज़फ़िज_ should be _किताब अल-ज़ीज_, and _858 ई.पू._ should be _858 ई._
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