While Europe was going through the "Middle Ages," the Islamic world experienced an extraordinary scientific boom. Centers of knowledge like Baghdad became beacons of astronomical knowledge.
Between the 8th and 15th centuries, the Arab-Muslim world experienced a scientific golden age. From Baghdad to Cordoba, via Damascus, Cairo, Isfahan, and Samarkand, scholars translated, corrected, and expanded on Greek, Persian, and Indian works. Astronomy was one of the most brilliant fields of this era, which later nourished the European Renaissance. Many star names we still use today—such as Altair, Betelgeuse, or Rigel—as well as the astrolabe, are direct traces of this Arabic heritage.
After the founding of the House of Wisdom (Bayt al-Ḥikma) in Baghdad in the 9th century, Arab scholars translated the works of Aristotle, Ptolemy (Almagest), and Indian astronomers like Aryabhata. These translations were accompanied by critical and experimental work. Muslims also had practical needs: determining the direction of the qibla (towards Mecca), prayer times, and the dates of the lunar calendar.
Arab astronomers not only perfected the tools inherited from the Greeks and Persians; they also invented several original instruments and unprecedented calculation methods. Their practical genius transformed astronomy into a science of measurement based on geometry and instrumental precision.
These concrete innovations show that Arab astronomers went beyond the simple transmission of ancient knowledge: they invented new tools for calculation and observation, foreshadowing the methods of modern astronomy based on experimental measurement.
Arab astronomers often gave stars names derived from familiar images or animals. These names, which reflect the linguistic and cultural richness of the medieval Arab world, have survived thanks to star catalogs established by scholars such as Al-Sufi (903-986), author of the famous Book of Fixed Stars.
The translations carried out in Toledo and Palermo in the 12th century enabled the diffusion of Arab knowledge to Latin Europe. The star catalogs of Al-Sufi were integrated into those of Tycho Brahe (1546-1601), and then Johannes Bayer (1572-1625), who gave them Greek designations (Alpha, Beta, etc.).
The IAU officialized several of these Arabic names during the standardization of star catalogs in 2016. Today, about 60% of named stars retain an appellation of Arabic origin.
N.B.:
Arabic astronomy also introduced lasting technical terms such as azimuth (from "as-sumūt", directions) and nadir (from "naẓīr", opposite). These words respectively designate the horizontal angle and the point opposite the zenith.
| Star Name | Arabic Origin | Translation / Meaning | Constellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aldebaran | Al-Dabarān | The follower (of the Pleiades) | Taurus |
| Algol | Ra’s al-Ghūl | The demon's head | Perseus |
| Alnair | An-Nayyir | The bright one | Grus |
| Alnilam | An-Niẓām | The row (of Orion's belt) | Orion |
| Alnitak | An-Niṭāq | The belt | Orion |
| Altair | Al-Nasr al-Taïr | The flying eagle | Aquila |
| Betelgeuse | Ibt al-Jawza | Orion's armpit | Orion |
| Deneb | Dhanab ad-Dajājah | The hen's tail | Cygnus |
| Denebola | Dhanab al-Asad | The lion's tail | Leo |
| Dubhe | Ad-Dubb al-Akbar | The bear (Ursa Major) | Ursa Major |
| Fomalhaut | Fum al-Ḥūt | The mouth of the fish | Piscis Austrinus |
| Mirfak | Mirfaq | The elbow | Perseus |
| Mizar | Miʿzar | The belt, the cover | Ursa Major |
| Rigel | Rijl al-Jawza | Orion's foot | Orion |
| Vega | Al-Nasr al-Waqi’ | The falling eagle | Lyra |
| Bellatrix | Al-Nathrah | The warrior | Orion |
| Alhena | Al-Ḥan’ah | The finger | Gemini |
| Alpheratz | Al-Firz | The cord | Andromeda |
| Sabik | As-Sābiq | The first | Ophiuchus |
| Regulus | Al-Rijl | The little king / the prince | Leo |
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