Astronomical Tradition Research Articles

A Synthetic Approach in Maghribi and Ottoman Astronomical Traditions: The Example of an 18thCentury Ottoman Perpetual Calendar for the Latitude of Algiers

A Synthetic Approach in Maghribi and Ottoman Astronomical Traditions: The Example of an 18thCentury Ottoman Perpetual Calendar for the Latitude of Algiers

Jesuits and Astrology: Print versus Manuscript

Abstract Astrology played an important part in early modern European culture, as a fundamental part of both mathematical and astronomical traditions. During the same period, the Society of Jesus built their global educational enterprise, which included a proven expertise in mathematical and astronomical study. Although insufficiently acknowledged in Jesuit historiography, astrology formed an important part of this scientific project. Several Jesuit authors engaged in the study, teaching, and practice of astrology. From the mathematics curriculum of the Roman College to the Jesuit astrology classes in Portugal and Spain, the present article discusses astrology’s presence in early modern Jesuit publications. It examines the discussion of astrology in the Society’s scientific works, highlights the sharp contrast between the printed word and the manuscript tradition, and demonstrates how the latter provides a better guide to the role of astrology as part of Jesuit science.

Guiding Sky

This paper presents an astronomical study of a sample of ancient cairns, stelae and burials at the cairnfield of Xiis (Heis) in Somaliland, a historic centre of long-distance trade between different cultures. The analyses reveal a set of significant orientations that the paper relates to the seasonal movements of the region’s nomads, which are believed to have remained unchanged for millennia. The structures, which date from the first to the third century AD, are also contextualised within the broader astronomical traditions of the Somali and other Cushitic peoples, many aspects of which predate the arrival of Islam to the Horn of Africa and constitute some of the most distinctive and complex aspects of Somali culture.

Ibn al-Fahhād and the Great Conjunction of 1166 AD

Farīd al-Dīn Abu al-Ḥasan ‘Alī b. al-Fahhād’s astronomical tradition as represented in the prolegomenon to his Alā’ī zīj (1172 AD) shows his experimental examination of the theories of his predecessors and testing the circumstances of the synodic phenomena as derived from the theories developed in the classical period of medieval Middle Eastern astronomy against his own observations. This work was highly influential in late Islamic astronomy and was translated into Greek in the 1290s. He evaluated al-Battānī’s Ṣābi’ zīj (d. 929 AD) and al-Khāzinī’s Sanjarī zīj (fl. 1115 AD) with regard to the conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn in 1166 AD and found the errors of, respectively, about 35 and 10 days in the times predicted, which are verified by a recalculation on the basis of these works and modern theories. His inspection of the four solar theories established by his Islamic predecessors with respect to the quantitative differences between their predicted times for the occurrence of the vernal equinoxes is also correct. His calculation of the parameters of the solar and lunar eclipses in April 1176 has the errors of up to 1 h in the time and one digit in the magnitude. A general result of this study is that solely the evaluation of the synodic phenomena could mislead the judgment about the reliability and worthiness of the contemporary theories.

Critiques of Ptolemaic Astronomy in Islamic Spain

Este artículo presenta el descubrimiento de un texto hasta ahora desconocido, llamado al-lstidrāk, obra de un astrónomo anónimo andalusí del siglo XI que conoció personalmente a Azarquiel y que planteó sus dudas acerca de la tradición astronómica griega. Sobre la base de este nuevo texto, el artículo pone en cuestión la idea que se ha venido manteniendo de que la tradición astronómica islámica fue sobre todo filosófica en al-Andalus y más matemática en Oriente. Se aducen además datos de ambos lados del Mediterráneo que demuestran que hubo una continuidad y unos contactos entre los dos extremos. El artículo mantiene que la falacia en esta caracterización de la astronomía islámica proviene de una falsa comparación entre las obras de filósofos occidentales con la de astrónomos orientales; cuando se comparan las obras astronómicas del Este y del Oeste queda claro que fueron los mismos problemas los que se plantearon en obras astronómicas en todo el orbe islámico. También se hace evidente que astrónomos orientales como Ibn al-Shāṭir de Damasco estaban sensibilizados a las mismas cuestiones filosóficas que preocupaban a los filósofos andalusíes y respondieron a estas cuestiones con sus propias respuestas filosóficas.

La astronomía de Ptolomeo y el caso Galileo: dos aportes histórico-epistemológicos

Ptolemy´s astronomy and the Galileo case: two historical and epistemological considerations The Galileo case is the most famous example of the encounter betwen science and Faith. The debate was centered, among others, in the field of epistemology and the history of science. The paper shows that the Galilean pretentions of interpreting the heliocentric hypothesis in a realistic way did not constituted a novelty, but rather it was a continuation of the most important Ptolemaic astronomical tradition. It also argues that the Copernican hypothesis did not inaugurate, because of the introduction of the Earth´s motion, a new phase of conflict between astronomy and physics. This conflict already existed, at least, since the times of Ptolemy.

New evidence from archaeoastronomy on Apollo oracles and Apollo-Asclepius related cult

Abstract Apollonian temples with oracular function related to the cult of Apollo's son Asclepius, as well as, Asclepius temples, (both) appear to align with the heliacal rising of the constellation of the Crow (raven) by the sunrise of the Autumn Equinox. Some show to align with Ophiuchus, too. Both constellations are related with the mythological circle of the deities as a dual entity. This astronomical phenomenon is supported by myth, archaeological finds, historical texts, artistic representations and astronomical academic tradition. The seventeen temples-altars chosen for survey cover a major chronological and geographical area. Ten temples are of Apollo and seven are of Asclepius: the Pythios Apollon in Gortyna and associated Lebena Asclepius temple (Crete), the Apollo Maleatas and associated Altar within the Asclepeiion of Epidaurus, and the Asclepius temple of Epidaurus (Peloponnese, mainland Greece), Apollo Deiradiotes and an Asclepius temple close to the town of Argos (Peloponnese, mainland Greece), the temple and oracle of Apollo Clarios and Apollo Temple at Notion (Ionian coast, Asia Minor, Turkey), the Temple of Apollon Lairbenos (Phrygia, Asia Minor, Turkey), the Asclepius Temple, Apollo Kyparissios and an Antonine Apollo temple at the island of Kos, and Asclepius Temple with Apollo Oikos at Messene (southern Peloponnese). Most of the Asclepius Temples (healing centers) are associated with temples (some oracular), altars or worship houses of Apollo. In our analytical work, Apollo and Asclepius function as complementary dualities who corroborate on religious prophecy and healing. On cult sites associated with ceremonial healing and curative practice, the alignment of the temples show the use of star markers in architectural planning: astronomical signs associated with myths of the actual gods, prevail. Through present study, we have shown that intangible and tangible cultural heritage are connected. The astronomical orientation of the temples is studied for their azimuth, angular altitude of the horizon and celestial declination, through applied remote sensing techniques, making use of Google Earth maps and associated astronomical tools.

ABORIGINAL ASTRONOMICAL TRADITIONS FROM OOLDEA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, PART 2: ANIMALS IN THE OOLDEAN SKY

Australian Indigenous astronomical traditions demonstrate a relationship between animals in the skyworld and the behaviour patterns of their terrestrial counterparts. In our continued study of Aboriginal astronomical traditions from the Great Victoria Desert, South Australia, we investigate the relationship between animal behaviour and stellar positions when these relationships are not explicitly described in the written records. We develop a methodology to test the hypothesis that the behaviour of these animals is predicted by the positions of their celestial counterparts at particular times of the day. Of the twelve animals identified in the Ooldean sky, the nine stellar (i.e. non-planet or non-galactic) associations were analysed and each demonstrated a close connection between animal behaviour and stellar positions. We suggest that this may be a recurring theme in Aboriginal astronomical traditions, requiring further development of the methodology.

An analysis of the Tabulae magistrales by Giovanni Bianchini

Bianchini called Tabulae magistrales a set of eight tables he compiled to solve problems in spherical astronomy. This set, which is the object of this paper, consists of auxiliary and trigonometric functions, including the sine and the tangent functions, for radii 10,000 and 60,000, and seems to be the first set of tables in Latin specifically devoted to mathematical tools for computational astronomy. Bianchini presented some of his tables in decimal form, which meant that for the first time one of the oldest astronomical tradition, the sexagesimal base (\(R = 60\)), was abandoned.

Aratus and the Astronomical Tradition

Aratus and the Astronomical Tradition

Al-Farghānī on the 48 Ptolemaic Constellations: A Newly Discovered Text in Hebrew Translation

The present study reports the discovery of a hitherto unknown account of the 48 Ptolemaic constellations, probably by al-Farghānī, or at least from the first phase of the Arabic Ptolemaic astronomical tradition. A Hebrew translation of this account is embedded in the chapter on the fixed stars in Jacob Anatoli’s Hebrew translation (ca. 1230–1240) of al-Farghānī’s Elements, which this paper studies closely. This chapter is a fundamental text for understanding the Jewish interest in the fixed stars from the twelfth century onward. The Arabic text underlying Anatoli’s Hebrew translation was well known in the twelfth century, notably to Abraham Bar Ḥiyya and Abraham Ibn Ezra. Anatoli’s Hebrew translation of this chapter had a strong impact on subsequent Hebrew astronomy, beginning in the second half of the thirteenth century.

Astronomies and Cultures in Early Medieval Europe

Illustrations Abbreviations Preface Part I. The Environment for Medieval Astronomies: 1. Astronomies in cultures 2. The heritage of astronomical practice 3. Astronomy and Christian thought Part II. The Cultivation of Early Medieval Astronomies: 4. Continuity and change in solar ritual 5. Computing the central time - the date of Easter 6. Observing the Celestial order - monastic timekeeping 7. Astronomy in the Liberal Arts Part III. The Harvest of Medieval Astronomies: 8. The fusion of astronomical traditions 9. The encounter of Arabic and Latin astronomies 10. The rebirth of Ptolemaic astronomy Bibliography.

An eye on the sky

Astronomers in Iran are on the verge of success in their long quest to build a world-class astronomy observatory.

Ibn al-Kammād’s Muqtabis zij and the astronomical tradition of Indian origin in the Iberian Peninsula

In this paper, we analyze the astronomical tables in al-Zīj al-Muqtabis by Ibn al-Kammād (early twelfth century, Cordoba), based on the Latin and Hebrew versions of the lost Arabic original, each of which is extant in a unique manuscript. We present excerpts of many tables and pay careful attention to their structure and underlying parameters. The main focus, however, is on the impact al-Muqtabis had on the astronomy that developed in the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghrib and, more generally, on the transmission and diffusion of Indian astronomy in the West after the arrival of al-Khwārizmī’s astronomical tables in al-Andalus (Muslim Spain) in the tenth century. This tradition of Indian origin competed with the Greek tradition represented by al-Battānī’s astronomical tables and was much more alive in the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghrib than previously thought. From Spain, the Indian tradition entered mainstream European astronomy, where we find echoes of it in all versions of the Alfonsine Tables, both in manuscript and in the printed editions (beginning in 1483), as well as in Copernicus’s De Revolutionibus, published in 1543.

The ‘Impiety’ of Kepler's shift from mathematical astronomy to celestial physics

The ‘Impiety’ of Kepler's shift from mathematical astronomy to celestial physics

IDENTIFYING SEASONAL STARS IN KAURNA ASTRONOMICAL TRADITIONS

Early ethnographers and missionaries recorded Aboriginal languages and oral traditions across Australia. Their general lack of astronomical training resulted in misidentifications, transcription errors and omissions in these records. In western Victoria and southeast South Australia many astronomical traditions were recorded but, cur-iously, some of the brightest stars in the sky were omitted. Scholars claimed these stars did not feature in Aboriginal traditions. This continues to be repeated in the literature, but current research shows that these stars may in fact feature in Aboriginal traditions and could be seasonal calendar markers. This paper uses established techniques to identify seasonal stars in the traditions of the Kaurna Aboriginal people of the Adelaide Plains, South Australia.

ABORIGINAL ASTRONOMICAL TRADITIONS FROM OOLDEA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA. PART 1: NYEERUNA AND 'THE ORION STORY'

Whilst camped at Ooldea, South Australia, between 1919 and 1935, the amateur anthropologist Daisy Bates CBE recorded the daily lives, lore and oral traditions of the Aboriginal people of the Great Victoria Desert region surrounding Ooldea. Among her archived notes are stories regarding the Aboriginal astronomical traditions of this region. One story in particular, involving the stars making up the modern western constellations of Orion and Taurus, and thus referred to here as 'The Orion Story', stands out for its level of detail and possible references to transient astronomical phenomena. Here, we critically analyse several important elements of 'The Orion Story', including its relationship to an important secret-sacred male initiation rite. This paper is the first in a series attempting to reconstruct a more complete picture of the sky knowledge and star lore of the Aboriginal people of the Great Victoria Desert.

Aratus and the astronomical tradition

Aratus and the astronomical tradition

A Critique of the Arguments for Maragha Influence on Copernicus

(ProQuest: ... denotes formulae omitted.)1. IntroductionCopernicus's planetary models exhibit some striking similarities to those of late medieval Islamic astronomers. On this basis many have concluded that he must have been influenced by them.1 We claim that no good evidence for this inference exists. Certainly there is no direct trace of it in the documentary record: the sources Copernicus supposedly copied from are not cited by him or any of his European contemporaries - despite the fact that Copernicus happily cites numerous earlier Islamic sources2 - and there is virtually no evidence that they were accessible to him.3As for the technical similarities, they are all natural consequences of natural principles, making independent discovery perfectly plausible. Copernicus and his Islamic predecessors had the same starting point, the same goal, and the same techniques at their disposal, so extensive similarities in their results are to be expected even if they worked independently. Nor is it surprising that they had the same goal, namely to reformulate Ptolemy's theory of the planetary system in terms of uniform circular motion. Ptolemy's abandonment of the principle of uniform circular motion was glaringly conspicuous already in ancient times, and the idea to reinstate it is so natural that it can hardly fail to suggest itself to any serious astronomer familiar with the classical astronomical tradition. Copernicus makes his dislike of the equant known immediately at the very beginning of the Commentariolus:Ptolemy ... envisioned certain equant circles, on account of which it appeared that the planet never moves with uniform velocity.... Therefore a theory of this kind seemed neither perfect enough nor sufficiently in accordance with reason.... I often pondered whether perhaps a more reasonable model composed of circles could be found from which every apparent irregularity would follow while everything in itself moved uniformly, just as the principle of perfect motion requires.4Islamic astronomers felt similarly, but there is no reason to think that Copernicus inherited his view from them since the principle of uniform circular motion was the most unquestionable axiom of astronomy already in Antiquity. This principle is affirmed for example by Plato, Timaeus 34a, and Aristotle, De caelo n.6, where the possibility of acceleration and deceleration in the heavens is explicitly rejected. Ptolemy himself stresses the point no less strongly (though obviously his interpretation of it is different from that of Copernicus):It is our purpose to demonstrate for the five planets that all their apparent anomalies can be represented by uniform circular motions, since these are proper to the nature of divine beings, while disorder and non-uniformity are alien [to such beings].5Thus Copernicus's concern to eliminate the equant is a natural continuation of classical astronomy. It is based on very natural considerations that would undoubtedly have occurred to him even if he had never heard of Islamic astronomy.Ragep argues to the contrary that Copernicus's work is inexplicable unless it is seen as stemming from the Islamic tradition:What seems to be overlooked by those who advocate a reinvention by Copernicus and/or his contemporaries of the mathematical models previously used by Islamic astronomers is the lack of an historical context for those models within European astronomy. At the least, one would expect to find some tradition of criticism of Ptolemy in Europe in which those models would make sense. But in fact this is not the case. Copernicus's statement of his dissatisfaction with Ptolemaic astronomy ... had no precedent in Europe but did have a continuous five-hundred-year precedent in the Islamic world.6But why it is so surprising that the same person who raises the criticisms of Ptolemy also works out an alternative? On the contrary, this seems to make perfect sense. …

A Case Study of How Natural Phenomena Were Justified in Medieval Science: The Situation of Annular Eclipses in Medieval Astronomy

ArgumentThe present paper is an attempt to understand how medieval astronomers working within the Ptolemaic astronomical context in which the annular eclipse is an unjustified and impossible phenomenon, could know, define, justify, and later make attempts that led to success in predicting annular solar eclipses. As a context-based study, it reviews the situation of annular eclipses with regard to the medieval hypotheses applied to the calculation of the angular diameters of the sun and the moon, which was basic for contemplating the possibility of annular eclipses. This gives the premises and the preliminary insights that were necessary to clarify the complex situation of the annular eclipse in the late medieval Islamic period and to explain the historical mechanisms leading to justifying the phenomenon during that period. This was, first due to a convincing and efficient observational evidence which, of course, was available only to a number of medieval astronomers and significantly for only a limited time period, and, second, the result of an amazing interaction amongst various astronomical traditions available to them. At a more general level, the research aims to inspect or, at least, to give some impressions of the essential conditions, i.e., identification of phenomenon, empirical evidence, and the justifying underlying tradition, under which it became possible in the tradition-based science of the `medieval period to permit a not-already-defined and tradition-opposed phenomenon to be posed and justified.