Arzachel Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
- For other meanings, see Arzachel (disambiguation)
Al-Zarqali corrected Ptolemy's geographical data, specifically the length of the Mediterranean Sea. He was the first to prove conclusively the motion of the aphelion relative to the fixed background of the stars. He measured its rate of motion as 12.04 seconds per year, which is remarkably close to the modern calculation of 11.8 seconds. He also contributed to the famous Tables of Toledo, a compilation of astronomical data of unprecedented accuracy. Arzachel was famous as well for his own Book of Tables. Many "books of tables" had been compiled, but his almanac (even our word is Arabic) contained tables which allowed one to find the days on which the Coptic, Roman, lunar, and Persian months begin, other tables which give the position of planets at any given time, and still others facilitating the prediction of solar and lunar eclipses. He also compiled valuable tables of latitude and longitude. His work was translated into Latin by Gerard of Cremona in the 12th Century, and contributed to the rebirth of a mathematically-based astronomy in Christian Europe. Four centuries later, Copernicus mentioned Arzachel and quoted him, in the book that gave new meanings to 'revolution,' De Revolutionibus Orbium Celestium
Arzachel crater on the Moon is named after him.
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