Company:Nastulus

Short description: 10th-century astronomer and astrolabist

Nastulus
محمد بن عبد الله نسطولس
Abū Rayhān Bīrūnī's description of Nasṭūlus’s astrolabe
Born	fl. 10th century
Academic work
Era	Islamic Golden Age
Main interests	Astronomy
Influenced	Al-ʻIjliyyah

Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh Nasṭūlus (Arabic: محمد بن عبد الله نسطولس; known as Nasṭūlus, but also referred to as Basṭūlus) was a 10th century astronomer. He is known for making one of the oldest surviving astrolabes, dated 927/928, as well as of another partially preserved astrolabe that bears his signature, "Made by Nasṭūlus in the year 315" of hijra (925).

Very little is known about Nasṭūlus. His full name, based on a testimony given by a contemporary astronomer, Abu Sa'id al-Sijzi, indicates that he was a Muslim, but some modern historians have suggested that his foreign last name may indicate that he was Greek or Nestorian.

Sources

• Dodge, Bayard (1970). The Fihrist of Al-Nadīm: A Tenth-century Survey of Muslim Culture. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-02925-4. https://archive.org/details/fihristofalnadim0000ibna/page/671. 
• Rius, Mònica (2007). "Nasṭūlus: Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh". in Thomas Hockey. The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers. New York: Springer. pp. 822–3. ISBN 9780387310220. http://islamsci.mcgill.ca/RASI/BEA/Nastulus_BEA.htm.  (PDF version)
• King, David A. (1999). World Maps for Finding the Direction and Distance of Mecca: Examples of Innovation and Tradition in Islamic Science. Brill Publishers. ISBN 978-90-04-11367-1. https://archive.org/details/worldmapsforfind00king/page/87. 

Further reading

Websites

• "A remarkable mathematical and astronomical brass instrument signed by Nastulus, one of the leading astronomer-craftsmen of late-9th and early 10th-century Baghdad". London: Sotheby's. https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2006/arts-of-the-islamic-world-l06222/lot.87.html. 
• "History of the Astrolabe". University of Oxford. https://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/students/03to04/Astrolabes/Starholder_history.html. 
• "Nastulus - Planispheric Astrolabe Made by Nastulus (or Bastilus)". University of Pennsylvania. http://dla.library.upenn.edu/dla/fisher/record.html?id=FISHER_n2001071563&. 

Journals

• King, David A. (2008). "An Instrument of Mass Calculation made by NasÐūlus in Baghdad ca. 900". Suhayl 8: 93–119. ISSN 1576-9372. http://www.ub.edu/arab/suhayl/volums/volum8/paper%203.pdf. 

External links

• Image of one of the two astrolabes made by Nasṭūlus from the Al-Sabah Collection website
• Description of a manuscript dated Jumadi II 625 AH (May 1228) from the exhibition Scanning the Skies: A Virtual Exhibit of Astronomy Manuscripts at the University of Pennsylvania, showing a description of one of Nasṭūlus’s astrolabes