Astronomy for the court in the early sixteenth century. Alfonso de Córdoba and his \textit{Tabule Astronomice Elisabeth Regine}. (Q1879473)

Copernicus mentioned in his Commentariolus a somewhat obscure astronomer Hispalensis. In 1924 L. Birkenmajer identified Hispalensis with a contemporary of Copernicus, a Spanish astronomer Alfonso de Córdoba (from Seville [Latin: Hispalis], probably born in 1458). In this paper his three different books on astronomy are acquainted. He was the editor of the Almanach Perpetuum by Abraham Zacut (1452--1515), printed in 1502. He was also the author of the Lumen each, sive Expositio instrumenti astronomici a se excogitati, printed in Rome 1498, on an instrument for determining the positions of the planets. Finally, he was the author of a set of astronomical tables called Tabule astronomice Elisabeth Regine. The first edition appeared in Venice in 1503, and then in 1524, in a volume bound with the Alphonsine Tables. From this volume 44 tables are now reproduced with detailed explanations, e.g. 'Table 4: Solar apogee and planetary apogees relative to it at epoch;\dots Table 44: Rising of the stars. It is noted that these tables were composed for the rulers of Spain, and adapted to significant dates of Isabella's reign. The analysis of these Tabule Astronomice Elisabeth Regine shows that Alfonso de Córdoba produced astronomy at a level similar to that of the best astronomers of his time.