• How Did Islamic Astronomers Poke Holes In The Theories Attributed To Ptolemy

How did Islamic astronomers poke holes in the theories attributed to Ptolemy, one of the most distinguished and well-known astronomers of all time? Islamic astronomers including Nasir Al-Din Al-Tusi, accompanied by others like Ibn Al-Haytham, and Al-Biruni were influenced by Ptolemy’s calculations, observations, and conclusions. However, it was their ambition for a greater, more sophisticated, and more precise knowledge of the cosmos that led them to critique and diverge from Ptolemy’s theories. These particular Islamic astronomers, accompanied by others, strove to establish and structure an improved version of Ptolemy’s original ideas, heavily contributing to the overall history of astronomy. This paper will delve into their critiques and alternative solutions to Ptolemy's shortcomings. I will attempt to briefly summarize and contextualize Ptolemy’s original theories, showcase the critiques issued by Islamic

Furthermore, Al-Tusi’s book Tadhkira presented and articulated Al-Tusi’s ‘difficulties’ with Ptolemy’s The Almagest. Al-Tuis critiques Ptolemy’s calculations regarding the irregular motions of the Moon’s deferent, Mercury’s deferent, and the irregular motions of Jupiter’s, Mars’s, Venus’s and Saturn’s deferents. These difficulties “arise from the motion of the deferent being about a point other than its own center. due to Ptolemy's introduction of the equant as the point of reference for uniform motion, a point not coincident with the deferent center. For the moon, the center of the World, which is distinct from the moon's deferent center, has the role of reference point for uniform motion.” In other words, Al-Tusi found discrepancies with Ptolemy’s calculations, positions, and motions of the planets due to the use of the equant determining the point of uniform