c. 858-929

Arab Astronomer and Mathematician

Al-Battani is considered the greatest astronomer of the medieval Islamic world. He is best known for his astronomical handbook Kitab al-Zij, which introduced new trigonometric methods for performing astronomical computations. He devised improved instruments and made accurate observations that allowed him to give corrected values for several astronomical constants, including the obliquity of the ecliptic and time of the equinoxes.

Known to the West as Albategnius, al-Battani was born in or near Harran in northwestern Mesopotamia (modern Turkey) around 858. His father was the noted instrument-maker Jabir ibn Sinan al-Harrani. No information exists regarding al-Battani's formal education. However, it seems reasonable to assume that his facility in devising improved instruments, which included a new type of armillary sphere, was nurtured through technical training provided by his father. His ancestors were Sabians, a religious sect adhering to a mixture of Christian and Islamic doctrines...