Al-Zarqali (Arzachel)

Known for

Toledan Tables and a universal astrolabe

Biography

Andalusian instrument maker and astronomer who started as a metalworker in Toledo.

Contributions

• Led the work behind the Toledan Tables, used across Europe for planetary positions
• Invented a universal astrolabe (the saphea) usable at any latitude
• Corrected Ptolemy's figure for the length of the Mediterranean

Major works

• Toledan Tables (contributor)
• Treatise on the saphea astrolabe