Nur ad-Din al-Bitruji | |
|---|---|
| Born | 12th century |
| Died | c. 1204 |
| Academic background | |
| Influences | Avempace, Ibn Tufail, al-Zarqali |
| Academic work | |
| Era | Islamic Golden Age |
| Main interests | Astronomy |
| Notable works | Kitāb al-Hayʾah |
| Notable ideas | First non‐Ptolemaic astronomical system; physical cause of celestial motions |
| Influenced | Grosseteste, Albertus Magnus, Roger Bacon, Regiomontanus, Copernicus[1] |
Nūr al-Dīn ibn Isḥaq al-Biṭrūjī (Arabic: نور الدين ابن إسحاق البطروجي, died c. 1204), known in the West by the Latinized name of Alpetragius, was an Arab[2][3] astronomer and qadi in al-Andalus.[4] Al-Biṭrūjī was the first astronomer to present the concentric spheres model as an alternative to the Ptolemaic system, with the planets borne by geocentric spheres. Another original aspect of his system was proposing a physical cause of celestial motions.[4] His alternative system spread through most of Europe during the 13th century.[1]
The crater Alpetragius on the Moon is named after him.