Al-Sufi's Book of Fixed Stars
The first record of the Andromeda Galaxy, a 'small cloud'
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The Persian astronomer Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi checked Ptolemy's star catalogue against his own observations and gave the stars Arabic names, many of which, like Aldebaran, are still used. The book contains the first description of the Andromeda Galaxy, as a 'small cloud', and probably of the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Wikipedia (Russian) · Wikipedia (English) · 10th century
Meanwhile around the world (±25 years)
Europe
- c. 939 Eldgjá eruption — 25 years earlier
- 962 Coronation of Otto I — 2 years earlier
Eastern Europe & Russia
- 966 Baptism of Poland — 2 years later
- 988 Christianization of Kievan Rus' — 24 years later
Africa
- 969 Founding of Cairo — 5 years later
- 972 Al-Azhar Mosque opens — 8 years later
Asia
- 946 Millennium Eruption of Mount Paektu — 18 years earlier
- 960 Founding of the Song dynasty — 4 years earlier
Americas
- c. 950–1250 Medieval Warm Period — 14 years earlier
Alive at the time
- Vladimir the Great (aged 4)
- Otto the Great (aged 52)
- Olga of Kiev (aged 44)
- Ferdowsi (aged 24)
- Hugh Capet (aged 24)
- Sviatoslav I (aged 22)
- Edgar the Peaceful (aged 21)
- Otto II (aged 9)
- Yaropolk I (aged 9)