Book of Fixed Stars

About This Book

The Book of Fixed Stars is an astronomical text written by Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi (Azophi) around 964. Following the Graeco-Arabic translation movement in the 9th century AD, the book was written in Arabic, the common language of scholars across the vast Islamic territories, although the author himself was Persian. It was an attempt to create a synthesis of the comprehensive star catalogue in Ptolemy's Almagest with indigenous Arabic astronomical traditions on the constellations. The original manuscript no longer survives as an autograph; however, the importance of tradition and the practice of diligence, central to Islamic manuscript culture, have ensured the survival of the Book of Fixed Stars in later copies.

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