, or Eizarakel, a native of Toledo, in the twelfth century, was one of the most
, or Eizarakel, a native
of Toledo, in the twelfth century, was one of the most
celebrated astronomers who appeared after the time of the
Greeks, and before the revival of learning. He wrote a
treatise on the “obliquity of the Zodiac,
” which he fixed,
for his time, at 23 34', and determined the apogee of the
sun by four hundred and two observations. The famous
Alphonsine Tables, published by order of Alphonsus, king
of Castille, were partly taken from the works of Arzachel.
Few particulars are known of the personal history of this
astronomer, unless that he was of the Jewish persuasion.
Montucla says that his tables are preserved in several
libraries, in manuscript, with an introduction which explains their use.