Which mechanism caused errors in early Islamic astronomical observations before the invention of the telescope?

💡 Explanation

Before telescopes, astronomical observations relied on naked-eye measurements, where atmospheric refraction, the bending of light by the atmosphere, caused celestial objects to appear at slightly different positions because light bends as it passes through layers of air with varying densities, introducing errors. Therefore, distortions occurred, rather than mechanical errors of instruments or compass inaccuracy, which are affected by separate principles.

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