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Time Is Right for Arab Astronomy Renaissance, Scientist Says

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It's time for the Arab Muslim world to reclaim its lost tradition of astronomical learning, one prominent researcher says.

Building a new generation of observatories would spark interest in fundamental research across the region, which in recent years has taken a much more utilitarian approach to science, said Nidhal Guessoum, a professor of physics and astronomy at the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.

"Astronomy has a natural place high in the landscape of Arab Islamic culture," Guessoum wrote in a commentary published in the June 13 issue of the journal Nature. "It must be brought back." [History & Structure of the Universe (Infographic)]

A lost tradition

Astronomy has traditionally been important in the practice of Islam, Guessoum wrote, helping believers calculate prayer times and locations, determine the direction to the holy city of Mecca and map out the dates of festivals and pilgrimages.

As a result, astronomy flourished in the Muslim world from the ninth through 16th centuries A.D., with great observatories being built in what is now Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Iran and Uzbekistan.

"Thus hundreds of stars and constellations have Arabic names, such as Altair, Deneb, Vega and Rigel," Guessoum wrote. "Today, more than 20 lunar craters bear the names of Muslim astronomers, including Alfraganus (al-Farghani), Albategnius (al-Battani) and Azophi (al-Sufi)."

This golden age came to an end in the late 1500s after conservative clerics and rulers gained sway, placing ever more value on religious knowledge over scientific pursuits.

European colonization of the region in the 19th century sparked a brief resurgence, with new observatories going up in places such as Algeria, Lebanon and Egypt, Guessoum said.

But the interest mostly went home with the colonizers. When Arab nations gained their independence, Guessoum wrote, they tended to prioritize applied sciences such as petrochemical engineering and pharmaceuticals.

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Time Is Right for Arab Astronomy Renaissance, Scientist Says

Astronomy needs to be ‘enriched’ with ancient science, says APJ Kalam

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Former President APJ Abdul Kalam said here today that modern astronomy needs to be linked with ancient science to "enrich" it.

"Astronomy is a subject of inquisitiveness, whose attraction will continue unabated and it should be linked with ancient science for enriching it," he said, after inaugurating the first modern planetarium in the temple city at Dongla.

Kalam said that the planetarium would help students understand astronomy.

Referring to the history of astronomy in India, he made a special mention of Aryabhatta, Bhaskaracharya and Varahamihira's contributions.

Kalam said that he obtained a lot of important information on astronomy from Jayant Narlikar's Pune-based lab called "Ayuka".

The former President urged the youth to make science the mission of their lives, since only science could solve crises of water, power and waste management.

Addressing the function, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced plans to establish a 3-D Imax movie theatre within the planetarium complex and sanctioned Rs 5 crore for it.

He directed the science and technology department to select global-level scholars for the observatory and planetarium.

He also announced setting up of a research foundation in Madhya Pradesh Council for science and technology.

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Astronomy needs to be 'enriched' with ancient science, says APJ Kalam

Link astronomy to ancient science, says A P J Abdul Kalam

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Former President A P J Abdul Kalam said here today that modern astronomy needs to be linked with ancient science to "enrich" it.

"Astronomy is a subject of inquisitiveness, whose attraction will continue unabated and it should be linked with ancient science for enriching it," he said, after inaugurating the first modern planetarium in the temple city at Dongla.

Kalam said that the planetarium would help students understand astronomy.

Referring to the history of astronomy in India, he made a special mention of Aryabhatta, Bhaskaracharya and Varahamihira's contributions.

Kalam said that he obtained a lot of important information on astronomy from Jayant Narlikar's Pune-based lab called "Ayuka".

The former President urged the youth to make science the mission of their lives, since only science could solve crises of water, power and waste management.

Addressing the function, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced plans to establish a 3-D Imax movie theatre within the planetarium complex and sanctioned Rs 5 crore for it.

He directed the science and technology department to select global-level scholars for the observatory and planetarium.

He also announced setting up of a research foundation in Madhya Pradesh Council for science and technology.

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Link astronomy to ancient science, says A P J Abdul Kalam

Modern astronomy should be linked with ancient science: Kalam

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Bhopal, Jun 12 : Observing that astronomy is a subject of inquisitiveness, whose attraction will continue unabated, former President APJ Abdul Kalam today said that modern astronomy needs to be linked with ancient science for enriching it.

Dr Kalam was inaugurating the first modern planetarium in Ujjain district of Madhya Pradesh today. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Science and Technology Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya were also present on the occasion, an official release said.

He said this planetarium will help students understand secrets of astronomy. Referring to history of astronomy in India, he made a special mention of Aryabhatta, Bhaskaracharya and Varahamihira's contribution.

Referring to Pune-based laboratory 'Ayuka' of noted scientist Dr Jayant Narlikar, Dr Kalam said that he obtained a number of pieces of important information pertaining to astronomy from it.

He said setting up of the planetarium is a unique event in the history of astronomy in Madhya Pradesh. He urged youths to make science their life's mission. Crisis of water and power can be solved and challenge of waste management can be tackled through science. On the occasion, Dr Kalam administered pledge to schools students to promote science.

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Modern astronomy should be linked with ancient science: Kalam


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