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Diagram of the Phases of the Moon

Al-Biruni

A hand-drawn astronomical diagram from a manuscript of Al-Biruni's Kitab al-Tafhim, showing how the Moon's phases occur.

This diagram was created to accompany Al-Biruni's own explanation of astronomy in his book Kitab al-Tafhim.

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Hand-drawn diagram from a manuscript showing the Sun at right and the Moon at left orbiting Earth at center. Red lines show sunlight; eight small moon discs show phases, lit in red and dark in black. Arabic-script labels and text appear below and beside.
Diagram of the phases of the Moon, from a manuscript of Al-Biruni's Kitab al-Tafhim.

About this source

What it is

This diagram comes from a manuscript of the Kitab al-Tafhim, a book by Al-Biruni that introduced astronomy and mathematics to students. It shows the Sun and Moon orbiting the Earth, with red lines marking sunlight and small discs showing the Moon's different phases.

Why it matters

The diagram shows how Al-Biruni explained scientific ideas visually as well as in writing, making complex astronomy easier for learners to grasp. It reflects the strong tradition of teaching astronomy in the Islamic world during his lifetime.

Look closer

  • What does the choice to use a diagram, rather than just words, tell you about how Al-Biruni taught?
  • How does the diagram represent light and shadow to explain the Moon's phases?
  • What might a student of the time have found difficult to understand without such an image?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Al-Biruni on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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