BİRİNCİ FEN · İKİNCİ BÂB · BİRİNCİ FASIL · İkinci Madde
Second Article
It reports the rational proofs demonstrating that the world is round.
Esteemed one! Astronomers (experts in astronomy) have said: It should be known that all affairs of the world are interconnected. The world itself (the essence of the world) consists of spheres encompassing and tangent to each other, with no emptiness between them sufficient for a needle to pass, filled with noble and base bodies. The natural constitution (structure) of this world is roundness. Numerous proofs have established this claim, demonstrating that its circular nature is required by its natural structure. One of the proofs of this is that regardless of which side one views the world, a round and spherical shape (a convex form) is seen, and it is known through the sciences of calculation, the law of reason, and human experience that each continent [445] is an arc (curve).
Besides being the most expansive of forms, the fact that all events observed on Earth and in the heavens occur precisely as they do from a spherical shape, and could not occur in such order and regularity in any other form, is impossible. Those who imagine it to be a flat surface stretching endlessly have been overcome by their fancies and delusions. Therefore, the continents, seas, and deep valleys of the Earth are all part of a sphere, along with the obscuration of the moon by the Earth causing an eclipse, during which the shadow of the Earth is seen as a circle on the lunar surface; the itineraries of travelers who circumnavigate the Earth have revealed distinct longitudes and latitudes; these are proofs that everyone knows the Earth is spherical.
For example, the non-wandering stars (fixed stars) that appear to remain in place near the poles rotate upon parallel circles (minor circles) around the poles, tracing small orbits and appearing constantly; the non-wandering stars (fixed stars) from which one can reach the equator (the horizon) increase in distance until they cease to be visible. They then continue until their periods of visibility and invisibility become equal. After this, the times when they are invisible (periods of occultation) gradually increase, while the times when they are visible decrease. Eventually, they disappear entirely near a pole and never reappear.
The gradual rising of the portions of stars as they move from the eastern horizon to midday, their subsequent gradual movement westward, and the fact that their apparent size remains constant throughout their rotation, yet at sunrise and sunset they appear different and larger due to the influence of moisture and mist on Earth’s surface; the constant visibility of half or nearly half of the celestial sphere from Earth; the rising and setting of stars before those in the West for people living in the East; the occurrence of solar and lunar eclipses at calculated times without deviation; the continuous increase in the altitude of the pole star and other northern stars as one travels north, while southern stars continuously decrease in altitude; the continuous increase in the altitude of the pole star and southern stars as one travels south—the constant decrease in the altitude of northern stars [446]; ships at sea observing the curvature of the ocean covering coastlines and mountains first with their high points, then gradually seeing the lower portions as they approach land [447]; the equal duration of rising and setting times for stars; the sun being equal night and day when it is on the equinox (March 21st and September 23rd); the shadow formed at sunrise and sunset appearing to be of equal length eastward and westward—all these are proofs that the Earth and the heavens are round and spherical.
When the moon is eclipsed, the appearance of a circular shape on the moon, which is the shadow of the Earth, is clear evidence that the Earth is a sphere. For if the Earth were not round but triangular, square, or hexagonal, the shadow reflected onto the lunar surface during an eclipse would also appear as a triangle, square, or one of these shapes, and not as a circle. However, the observed shadow in eclipses is always circular, and this has never been otherwise.
Another point is that celestial events vary depending on the location from which they are observed; lunar eclipses seen at dawn in the East are not visible to those in the West, nor are solar eclipses witnessed at sunrise. Lunar eclipses observed at dusk in the West are not seen by those in the East.
Solar and lunar eclipses occurring in the middle of the sky [in equatorial regions] are invisible to those located on their corresponding points in the southern hemisphere. Similarly, solar and lunar eclipses observable in the southern hemisphere’s skies are also invisible to those at its exact opposite point. Solar and lunar eclipses appear to those in the West before they do to those in the East.
For example, a lunar or solar eclipse seen in the morning or early afternoon by those in the West is observed as dusk or evening by those in the East. The fact that the sun rises and sets earlier for those in the East relative to those in the West demonstrates that eclipses are observed earlier in the East.
However, there is no possibility of these conditions and changes occurring other than from a sphere. Even setting this aside, those who have traveled by sea from India and to the New World ("Hind-i Garbi") across the Great Ocean (the vast ocean) have gained the opportunity to travel east and west, going under the continent and circumnavigating that ocean.
Here's a faithful translation of the provided text, preserving meaning and aiming for classical resonance:
"These ships, arriving from the east, demonstrate that the world is indeed a globe. This event constitutes the ultimate proof, silencing all debate."
**Notes on choices made in this translation:**
* **"Arriving from the East":** This captures the sense of "doğudan gelen gemiler" (ships coming from the east) while maintaining a formal tone.
* **"Demonstrate that the world is indeed a globe":** This accurately conveys the meaning of “dünyanın küre şeklinde olduğunu ispat edip”. The phrasing aims for clarity and elegance.
* **"This event constitutes the ultimate proof":** The phrase "hâdise bütün delillerin son noktası olarak tartışma kapısını kapatmıştır” is translated to emphasize that this occurrence serves as conclusive evidence, ending further discussion. I opted for a slightly more formal phrasing than a literal rendering might allow.
* **"Silencing all debate":** This captures the essence of "tartışma kapısını kapatmıştır," which means “closing the door on argument.”