Practical Astronomy with your Calculator or Spreadsheet, 4th Edition

✍ Scribed by Peter Duffett-Smith, Jonathan Zwart

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 240
• Edition: 4
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Now in its fourth edition, this highly regarded book is ideal for those who wish to solve a variety of practical and recreational problems in astronomy using a scientific calculator or spreadsheet. Updated and extended, this new edition shows you how to use spreadsheets to predict, with greater accuracy, solar and lunar eclipses, the positions of the planets, and the times of sunrise and sunset. Suitable for worldwide use, this handbook covers orbits, transformations and general celestial phenomena, and is essential for anyone wanting to make astronomical calculations for themselves. With clear, easy-to-follow instructions for use with a pocket calculator, shown alongside worked examples, it can be enjoyed by anyone interested in astronomy, and will be a useful tool for software writers and students studying introductory astronomy. High-precision spreadsheet methods for greater accuracy are available at www.cambridge.org/practicalastronomy

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Preface to the fourth edition......Page 13
About this book and how to use it......Page 15
A word about spreadsheets – what are they?......Page 17
The layout of spreadsheets in this book......Page 20
Calculations involving multiple sheets......Page 21
Using our own functions......Page 23
Time......Page 25
1 Calendars......Page 26
2 The date of Easter......Page 27
3 Converting the date to the day number......Page 30
4 Julian dates......Page 32
5 Converting the Julian date to the Greenwich calendar date......Page 35
6 Finding the name of the day of the week......Page 36
7 Converting hours, minutes and seconds to decimal hours......Page 38
8 Converting decimal hours to hours, minutes and seconds......Page 39
9 Converting the local time to universal time (UT)......Page 40
10 Converting UT and Greenwich calendar date to local time and date......Page 44
11 Sidereal time (ST)......Page 46
12 Conversion of UT to Greenwich sidereal time (GST)......Page 47
13 Conversion of GST to UT......Page 48
14 Local sidereal time (LST)......Page 51
15 Converting LST to GST......Page 52
16 Ephemeris time (ET) and terrestrial time (TT)......Page 54
Coordinate systems......Page 57
17 Horizon coordinates......Page 58
18 Equatorial coordinates......Page 59
19 Ecliptic coordinates......Page 61
20 Galactic coordinates......Page 62
21 Converting between decimal degrees and degrees, minutes and seconds......Page 63
22 Converting between angles expressed in degrees and angles expressed in hours......Page 65
23 Converting between one coordinate system and another......Page 66
24 Converting between right ascension and hour angle......Page 67
25 Equatorial to horizon coordinate conversion......Page 71
26 Horizon to equatorial coordinate conversion......Page 73
27 Ecliptic to equatorial coordinate conversion......Page 75
28 Equatorial to ecliptic coordinate conversion......Page 79
29 Equatorial to galactic coordinate conversion......Page 80
30 Galactic to equatorial coordinate conversion......Page 82
31 Generalised coordinate transformations......Page 84
32 The angle between two celestial objects......Page 90
33 Rising and setting......Page 91
Low-precision method......Page 95
Rigorous method......Page 96
35 Nutation......Page 100
36 Aberration......Page 102
37 Refraction......Page 104
38 Geocentric parallax and the figure of the Earth......Page 107
39 Calculating corrections for parallax......Page 109
40 Heliographic coordinates......Page 112
41 Carrington rotation numbers......Page 118
42 Selenographic coordinates......Page 119
43 Atmospheric extinction......Page 123
The Sun......Page 125
44 Orbits......Page 126
46 Calculating the position of the Sun......Page 127
47 Calculating orbits more precisely......Page 131
48 Calculating the Sun’s distance and angular size......Page 134
49 Sunrise and sunset......Page 136
50 Twilight......Page 138
51 The equation of time......Page 140
52 Solar elongations......Page 142
The planets, comets and binary stars......Page 143
53 The planetary orbits......Page 144
54 Calculating the coordinates of a planet......Page 145
55 Finding the approximate positions of the planets......Page 155
56 Perturbations in a planet’s orbit......Page 156
57 The distance, light-travel time and angular size of a planet......Page 160
58 The phases of the planets......Page 161
59 The position-angle of the bright limb......Page 162
60 The apparent brightness of a planet......Page 164
61 Comets......Page 167
62 Parabolic orbits......Page 175
63 Binary-star orbits......Page 179
The Moon and eclipses......Page 185
64 The Moon’s orbit......Page 186
65 Calculating the Moon’s position......Page 188
66 The Moon’s hourly motions......Page 194
67 The phases of the Moon......Page 195
68 The position-angle of the Moon’s bright limb......Page 199
69 The Moon’s distance, angular size and horizontal parallax......Page 200
70 Moonrise and moonset......Page 202
71 Eclipses......Page 205
72 The ‘rules’ of eclipses......Page 207
73 Calculating a lunar eclipse......Page 208
74 Calculating a solar eclipse......Page 214
75 The Astronomical Calendar......Page 218
Glossary of terms......Page 221
Symbols and abbreviations......Page 229
Bibliography......Page 232
A useful website......Page 233
Index......Page 234