Textbook on Spherical Astronomy

This well-established textbook gives a general, but comprehensive, introduction to positional astronomy. The author considers the night sky as a celestial sphere and powerfully exploits the methods of spherical geometry. The present revision has bought the terminology and treatment up to date with current astronomical practice.

This new revision of a standard work gives a general but comprehensive introduction to positional astronomy. Useful for researchers as well as undergraduates.

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.