ALFA is an ERC-funded research project, based at SYRTE (UMR 8630) at PSL-Observatoire de Paris, and dedicated to the study of Alphonsine astronomy, which flourished in Europe from the second half of the 13th century to the middle of the 16th century.
ALFA
Alphonsine astronomy is undoubtedly one of Europe’s earliest scientific achievements. It set the stage for the likes of Bianchini, Regiomontanus and Copernicus. There were, however, few detailed historical analyses encompassing its development in all its breadth. ALFA has tackled this question by studying tables, instruments, mathematical and theoretical texts in a methodologically innovative way, drawing on approaches from the history of manuscript cultures, the history of mathematics and the history of astronomy. ALFA integrates these approaches not only to benefit from different perspectives, but also to build new questions from their interactions. For example, the analysis of mathematical practices in astral science manuscripts induces new ways of analyzing documents and thinking about astronomical questions. These methodological efforts have also drawn on strong innovations in digital humanities and artificial intelligence as a means of identifying, exploring, analyzing and editing new corpora of sources. In this respect, we have focused in particular on the non-discursive elements of astronomical sources: numerical tables and astronomical diagrams.
