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Al-Battani Facts & Worksheets

Al-Battani was one of the most famous Arab astronomers during the Medieval period. He was famous for calculating the number of days, hours, and minutes within only a few minutes accuracy, based on today's calculation.

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Al-Battani was one of the most famous Arab astronomers during the Medieval period. He was famous for calculating the number of days, hours, and minutes within only a few minutes accuracy, based on today’s calculation. Often dubbed as the “Ptolemy of the Arabs,” Al-Battani influenced famous astronomers’ work like Copernicus and Kepler.

See the fact file below for more information on the Al-Battani or alternatively, you can download our 21-page Al-Battani worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

PERSONAL AND EARLY LIFE

  • Al-Battani’s full name is Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Jābir ibn Sinān al-Raqqī al-Ḥarrānī al-Ṣābiʾ al-Battānī. He was also known by his Latin names,  Albategnius, Albategni, and Albatenius.
  • He was born in about 858 C.E. in the city of Harran in Southeast Turkey.
  • Al-Battani got his scientific interest from his father, Jabir ibn Sinan al-Harrani, famous for making science equipment during his time,
  • He was schooled by his father, when it became evident for Al-Battani was also skilled in making astronomical instruments.
  • He had an advanced education when he moved to Raqqa and thrived as a scholar.

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION

  • Al-Battani’s name suggests that he was a Muslim.
  • However, his family was a known member of the Sabian sect, a religious sect of star worshippers from Harran.
  • Al-Battani was a non-believer of this sect despite them being worshipers of the stars and having produced some well-known astronomers like Thabit ibn Qurra who also lived in Harran and was just slightly older than Al-Battani.

CONTRIBUTIONS IN ASTRONOMY

  • Al-Battani’s most significant work was his 57-chapter book, the Kitāb az-Zīj (or the Zij), before 900 B.C. It was translated into Latin as De motu stellarumin and into other languages. He revised the book in 901 after witnessing one lunar and one solar eclipse in Antioch’s city in Syria.
  • This book greatly influenced the works of the astronomers of the 15th to 17th-century astronomers like Johannes Kepler, Tycho Brahe, and Copernicus.
  • Some theories also suggest that Al-Batanni’s work in the measurements of the sun’s motion was more accurate than Copernicus’ because his observations were made from a more southerly latitude.
  • Al-Battani cataloged 489 stars, mapping and naming them in this book.
  • He calculated the farthest distance of the Sun from the Earth and found that it was changing, making Annular and Total eclipses possible.
  • This discovery also allowed him to calculate the length of a year to be 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 24 seconds. It was only 2 minutes and 22 seconds off. Considering that there were no modern instruments at the time, his calculations were remarkably accurate.
  • As Al-Battani was also quite skilled in making scientific instruments, he created his own armillary sphere that was more accurate than the previous versions. It helped him make critical astronomical calculations regarding the Sun’s relationship to the Earth.

CONTRIBUTION IN MATHEMATICS

  • Aside from being an astronomer, Al-Battani also made significant contributions to the field of mathematics.
  • Al-Battani pioneered using trigonometry in his calculations, rather than geometry like most scientists in the medieval period did, which was a significant advancement already.
  • He provided crucial trigonometric formulas and was the first to use the sine, cosine, tangent, cotangent, secant and cosecant expressions to examine right triangles.
  • He developed the concept of cotangents and created tables for angles from 0° to 90°.
  • He was first to solve trigonometric equations using algebra.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT Al-BATANNI

  • Between 877 and 918/19, Al-Battani lived in the ancient city of Ar-Raqqa in north-central Syria where he recorded his astronomical observations.
  • He was named “Ptolemy of the Arabs” for being the greatest astronomer in the Medieval Arab world.
  • The Islamic Lunar Calendar, a calendar based on the moon’s monthly changing position, was based on Al-Battani’s calculations of the yearly changing positions of the Sun and Moon.
  • Al-Battani was commemorated in a TV Show, Star Trek Voyager, where they named one of their space ships “USS Al-Battani.”
  • A crater of the moon (a plain eighty miles in diameter in Section One) was also named after him. It is called Albategnius.
  • Copernicus mentioned Al-Battani’s work in his book De Revolutionibus Orbium Clestium 23 times and expressed his gratitude towards Al-Battani’s works in his Commentariolus.
  • He had great respect for Ptolemy’s work and was reluctant to critique the Greek astronomer’s errors regarding the solar apogee or the obliquity of the ecliptic.
  • Al-Battani died on his way home after joining a tax protest in city of Moussul in Iraq on 929 C.E.

Al-Battani Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Al-Battani across 21 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Al-Battani worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Al-Battani who was one of the most famous Arab astronomers during the Medieval period. He was famous for calculating the number of days, hours, and minutes within only a few minutes accuracy, based on today’s calculation. Often dubbed as the “Ptolemy of the Arabs,” Al-Battani influenced famous astronomers’ work like Copernicus and Kepler.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Al-Battani Facts
  • Al-Battani’s Bio
  • The Greatest Astronomers
  • Astronomer’s Missing Words
  • The Zij
  • Influencing Astronomers
  • Muslim Scientists’ League
  • The Life of An Astronomer
  • Inquiries About Al-Battani
  • Clash of Theories
  • Celebrating Muslim Scientists

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Link will appear as Al-Battani Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, August 3, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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