Planisphaerium
The Planisphaerium is a work by Ptolemy. The title can be translated as "celestial plane" or "star chart". In this work Ptolemy explored the mathematics of mapping figures inscribed in the celestial sphere onto a plane by what is now known as stereographic projection. This method of projection preserves the properties of circles.
Publication
Originally written in
Maslamah Ibn Ahmad al-Majriti. The oldest known translation is in Arabic done by an unknown scholar as part of the Translation Movement in Baghdad.[1]
Planisphere
The word planisphere (Latin planisphaerium) was originally used in the second century by Ptolemy to describe the representation of a spherical Earth by a map drawn in the plane. [2]
Editions and translations
- Commandino, Federico, ed. (1558). Ptolemaei Planisphaerium. Iordani Planisphaerium. Federici Commandini Vrbinatis in Ptolemaei Planisphaerium commentarius (in Latin). Venice: Paulus Manutius.
References
- ^ Sidoli, Nathan; J. L. Berggren (2007). "The Arabic version of Ptolemy's Planisphere or Flattening the Surface of the Sphere: Text, Translation, Commentary" (PDF). Sciamvs. 37. 8 (139).
- ^ Journal of the British Astronomical Association yr:1995 pg:35
External links