Posted by Scientific Insights on Saturday, February 18, 2017
Determine The Qibla, Muslim Astronomers Use Astrolobe
Astrolabe history began more than two thousand years ago. However, the astronomical instruments which are useful for determining the location and estimate the position of the sun, moon, planets, and stars have experienced improvements in the Islamic world.
Muslim astronomers extend the usefulness of the astrolabe. One of them, astrolabe used by Muslim astronomers to determine the direction of Qibla. Then, this instrument was introduced to Europe during the reign of Islam in Spain, namely the 12th century.
Astrolabe's become one of the major astronomical instrument until modern times. Emily Winterburn, scientists of the Centre for the History of Science, Technology, adn Medicine, Imperial College, London, England, said there was a note of the astrolabe in the Islamic world.
According Winterburn, the use of the astrolabe in the Islamic world are known through the writings of one of the leading Muslim astronomers origin Isfahan, Iran, Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi, who lived in the 10th century. Al-Sufi describes the use of more than 1,000 astrolabe.
In the West, al-Sufi, better known by the name of Azophi. In fact, his name is embedded in a crater on the moon as a tribute to his outstanding contribution in the field of astronomy. In his writings, he called an astrolabe as an important instrument in astronomy and astrology.
The astrolabe is an instrument that is very diverse. The fundamental operation also has many variations that have sprung up over the development and refinement of the astrolabe. All operations on the connections between the real movement of the stars.
Namely, visible from a certain latitude on Earth and at certain times. By utilizing this astrolabe, the astronomers then able to determine the time based on the position of the sun and stars.