The Sun Sets in the West and Rises in the East
The Complete History of Science
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The History of Astronomy
In Islam, prayer times were observed five times a day. Knowing when midday or afternoon prayer should take place was left to guesswork. Astronomy seemed to offer a new way to accurately tell the time. Early Islamic astronomers realised it was possible to use their knowledge of the sun's daily motion to keep better track of the time. The earliest estimates using this method were made by the Persian Alkurismi who was working in the first half of the ninth century.
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