'Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi

'Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi was a Persian astronomer who lived during the 10th century. He was the first person to observe the Andromeda galaxy, our closest neighbor, and called it "little cloud".

Al-Sufi's book on stars was translated into many languages and had a big influence on European astronomy.


'Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi

'Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi was a Persian astronomer who lived during the 10th century. In 964, he documented the existance of the Andromeda galaxy, our closest neighbor, and called it "little cloud". This was the first record of a star system outside our own galaxy.

Al-Sufi's book on stars was translated into many languages and had a great influence on European astronomy.


'Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi

'Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi was a Persian astronomer who lived during the 10th century. In 964, he documented the Andromeda galaxy, our closest neighbor, and called it "little cloud". This was the first record of a star system outside our own galaxy.

Al-Sufi's book on stars was translated into many languages and had a big influence on European astronomy. Many star names used today show evidence of the Arabic name originally applied by al-Sufi.



Last modified prior to September, 2000 by the Windows Team

The source of this material is Windows to the Universe, at http://www.windows.ucar.edu/ at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). © The Regents of the University of Michigan. Windows to the Universe® is a registered trademark of UCAR. All Rights Reserved. Site policies and disclaimer