Textbook on Spherical Astronomy / Edition 6

by W. M. Smart, R. M. Green

Overview

This well-established textbook gives a general but comprehensive introduction to positional astronomy. Originally based on the author's lecture courses at Cambridge University, it is intended primarily for undergraduates, but, due to its comprehensive nature, it is a very useful reference text for research workers in many branches of astronomy and space physics. The author considers the night sky as the celestial sphere and powerfully exploits the methods of spherical geometry. Most problems in which the precise determination of a heavenly body's position in the sky is important are considered in theoretical detail, and the necessary formulae are derived to a precision that is sufficient for all but the most specialist purposes. The present revision has ensured that the terminology and treatment correspond precisely to current astronomical practice. A guiding principle has been to re-establish compatibility with the Astronomical Ephemeris and, to a lesser extent, with the fuller explanations of the Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Ephemeris and the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac. Fairly frequent comments added to the text indicate the sometimes modified relevance of the subject matter to modern astronomy. A number of additional exercises help to illustrate the new material.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521291804
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	07/07/1977
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	448
Product dimensions:	5.43(w) x 8.46(h) x 1.26(d)

Table of Contents

1. Spherical trigonometry; 2. The celestial sphere; 3. Refraction; 4. The meridian circle; 5. Planetary motions; 6. Time; 7. Planetary phenomena and heliographic co-ordinates; 8. Aberration; 9. Parallax; 10. Precession and nutation; 11. The proper motions of the stars; 12. Astronomical photography; 13. Determination of position at sea; 14. Binary star orbits; 15. Occulations and eclipses; Appendix 1. The method of dependences; Appendix 2. Stellar magnitudes; Appendix 3. The coelostat; Appendix A. Astronomical constants; Appendix B. Dimensions of the sun, moon and planets; Appendix C. Mean elements of the planetary orbits for the epoch 1975 January 0.5 E.T.; Appendix D. Elements and dimensions of the satellites; Appendix E. Ephemeris and universal time.