BIOGRAPHY OF AL BATTANI

LECTURER : FRAN SETIAWAN BENNY AZMAN, M.Pd

BY GROUP D :

FAUZI HIDAYATUL ANMI

HENDRA MUNANDA

MARLINA ZHAFIRA

NADIAH NAUROH SABILA

WIDIAH NINGSIH

CLASS PB 07

MAJOR OF INFORMATION SYSTEM

FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY OF SULTAN SYARIF KASIM RIAU

2019
 Al-Battani was an influential Muslim astronomer and mathematician in the Middle
Ages. One of his works that is quite popular is the Kitab al-Zij, which in the 12th century was
translated into Latin with the title De Scientia Stellarum or De Motu Stellarum.

Thanks to his findings, we can now know that in a year there are 365 days, 5 hours,
46 minutes and 24 seconds (other sources mention 365.24 days). Al-Battani's discovery was
considered accurate, even the accuracy of observations made by Al-Battani made a German
mathematician named Christopher Clavius use it to improve the Julian calendar.

With the permission of Pope Gregory XIII, the old calendar was finally converted into
a new calendar and began to be used in 1582. This calendar is then widely used by the public
to this day (Joseph A. Angelo, JR, Encyclopedia of Space and Astronomy, 2006).

Curriculum Vitae and Education

Al-Battani was born around 858 AD, in Harran. He has the full name Abu Abdullah
Muhammad ibn Jabir ibn Sinan al-Raqqi al-Harrani al-Sabi al-Battani. The Europeans refer
to Al-Battani as Albategnius, Albategni or Albatenius.

He is the son of astronomy scientist Jabir Ibn San'an Al-Battani. The Al-Battani
family are followers of the Sabian sect who perform star worship rituals. However, Al-
Battani did not follow in the footsteps of his ancestors. He chose to embrace Islam.
Informally, Al-Battani was educated by his father who was also a scientist. Since childhood,
he has shown interest in the scientific field that his father was in. Interest in objects in the sky
made Al-Battani then pursue the field of astronomy. Al-Battani studied astronomy since he
was 20 years old until the end of his life.

Then, little Al-Battani followed his family to move to Raqqah. In this new place he
began to pursue the field of astronomy, ranging from conducting various studies to find
various brilliant discoveries. Unfortunately, there are no specific data regarding Al-Battani's
formal education. For example, there is no data that says where Al-Battani studied science
(Frank N. Magill (ed), The Middle Ages: Dictionary of World Biography, Volume 2, 1998).

In the literature only mentioned that during his youth Al-Battani studied at Raqqah. In
his new place, he diligently studied ancient texts, especially the work of Ptolemy, which later
led him to continue studying astronomy. The field of science he pursued would later make
him famous not only among Muslims, but also in the Western world.

Discovery and Work

Al-Battani was fascinated by the geocentric cosmological theory that first developed
in Greece. Although Al-Battani was a follower of the Ptolemaic geocentric cosmological
theory, his observational data contributed to Nicholas Copernicus's development of the
heliocentric cosmological theory which helped to pioneer the scientific revolution in the 16th
and 17th centuries.

Like other Arabic Astronomers, Al-Battani followed the writings of Ptolemy and
devoted himself to developing Ptolemy 'work, The Almagest. While studying The Almagest,
Al-Battani made a great discovery, the Aphelium point. Aphelium point is the furthest point
of the earth when it circles the sun each year.

He discovered that the apparent diameter position of the sun was no longer in the
position stated by Ptolemy. This discovery is very different from the theory presented by
Ptolemy and Greek astronomers before. However, neither Al-Battani nor other Ptolemaic
astronomers were able to put forward an explanation behind these differences. Joseph A.
Angelo said that Al-Battani improved the order of the solar system, the lunar, and developed
the Ptolemaic theory in The Almagest to be more accurate.

Al-Battani's accurate observations also allowed him to refine Ptolemy's measurements

of the axis of the axis. He also made more accurate observations of the equinox (when the sun
was right past the earth's equator) in early autumn. Through this observation Al-Battani was
able to find that in a year there were 365.24 days (Joseph A. Angelo, JR, Encyclopedia of
Space and Astronomy, 2006).

Al-Battani's freedom in studying ancient texts, especially the work of Ptolemy, which
encouraged him to find new theories and contribute greatly to trigonometry, was inseparable
from the glory achieved by the Abbasid dynasty, especially in the era of the Caliph Harun al
Rasyid (786-809 AD) and his son al-Ma'mun (813-833 AD).

Al-Battani who was born and grew up when science was developing rapidly, made
him quite free to learn the science he loved. He read manuscripts of science, especially the
work of Ptolemy, which later led him to continue to study astronomy. However, Arab
astronomers, including Al-Battani, were not only oriented towards Ptolemy. They make their
own observations and often re-research using better instruments.

Ibn an-Nadim in Al-Fihrist mentions that al-Battani began his journey to observe
astronomical problems since 264 H (878 AD). With this opinion true, it means that al-Battani
had lived for a long time in the city of Raqqa and carried out astronomical research which he
discovered in 306 H (918 AD). In addition, al-Battani also lived for a long time in the city of
Anthakiyyah in northern Syria, where he made a binoculars star called "Binoculars Al-
Battani." In general, the period in which al-Battani lived was the heyday of Arabic astronomy
and the discovery of various scientific discoveries in Arabia in this field.
 As an expert in the field of astronomy, al-Battani has also authored many books
containing the observations of the stars, comparisons between various calendars used in
various tribes (Hijriyah, Persia, AD, and Qibti), and various equipment used, in observing the
stars and how to make them. Among his best-known books is Zij Ash-Shabi 'or Zij al-Battani
(this book consists of an introduction and fifty-seven chapters whose contents are mostly
from his experience of observing stars and his thoughts and theories in astronomy). In the
introduction to this book, al-Battani said, "The most noble science of its position is the
science of astrology. Because, with that knowledge can be known the length of the month and
year, time, season, increase, and reduction of day and night, the location of the sun and the
moon and its eclipse , and the course of the planet when departing and returning. "

In the 12th century the book of Zij Ash-Shabi was translated into Latin by Robertus
Retinensis. In the 13th century, King Alfonso of Spain re-translated the Book. The Book of
Zij Ash-Shabi ', better known as De Scientia Stellarum or De Motu Stellarum, was later
researched by an Italian Orientalist scholar named CA Nallino who edited and translated it
into Latin. Besides Zij ash-Shabi', another of al-Battani's works in the field of astronomy is
the treatise fi Tahqiqi Aqdari Al-Ittishalat, Ma'rifati Mathali 'al-Buruj fi ma Baina Arba' al-
Falak, Ta'dil al-Kawakib, Syarh Arba 'Maqalat li Bathlimus, and the Pole wa Rasa'il fi Ilmi
Al-Jughrafiya.

While Al-Battani was busy observing astronomy between 878 AD and 918 AD, he
was interested in the mathematical concepts of scientists who developed their knowledge in
India. Al-Battani's biggest contribution to astronomy is the introduction of the use of
trigonometry. This contribution gives new astronomers new knowledge about mathematical
calculations and is still used today. In the field of exact science Al-Battani was the first to
include sines and cosines in exact science. He used sine and cosine instead of hypotenuse
which was used by many Greeks. Then he refined the definition of pseudo-shadow and core
shadow, in addition to making a list of these two things. The discovery of the perfect
equilateral triangle law was attributed to him. In addition, he also solved various Greek-style
calculation problems by using geometry to find out the detailed measurements.

In mathematics, al-Battani produced a number of trigonometric equations:

sin a
tan a=
cos a

sec a = √ 1+tan 2 +a

he also solved the equation sin x = a cos x and found the formula:

a
sin x=
√1+ a2
he gave other trigonometric formulas like:

b sin ( A ) =a sin(90 °− A)
and he uses al-Marwazi's idea of tangent in developing equations to calculate tangent,
cotangent and compile tables of tangent calculations. He also discovered the inverse function
of secant and cosecan, and produced the first table of cosecants, which he referred to as
"shadow tables" (referring to gnomon shadows), for each degree from 1 ° to 90 °.

Died

He died in 929 in Qar al-Jiss (now in modern Iraq) on his way back from Baghdad.
Centuries after Al-Battani's death, a summary of his thoughts summarized in the Book of Zij
ash-Shabi ’is still used as a guide in the Renaissance and had much influence on Western
astronomers and astrologers. (Joseph A. Angelo, JR, Encyclopedia of Space and Astronomy,
2006).