Celestial Calculations: A Gentle Introduction to Computational Astronomy
392
Celestial Calculations: A Gentle Introduction to Computational Astronomy
392Paperback
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Overview
Our knowledge of the universe is expanding rapidly, as space probes launched decades ago begin to send information back to earth. There has never been a better time to learn about how planets, stars, and satellites move through the heavens. This book is for amateur astronomers who want to move beyond pictures of constellations in star guides and solve the mysteries of a starry night. It is a book for readers who have wondered, for example, where Saturn will appear in the night sky, when the sun will rise and set, or how long the space station will be over their location. In Celestial Calculations, J. L. Lawrence shows readers how to find the answers to these and other astronomy questions with only a personal computer and high school math. Using an easy-to-follow step-by-step approach, Lawrence explains what calculations are required, why they are needed, and how they all fit together.Lawrence begins with basic principles: unit of measure conversions, time conversions, and coordinate systems. He combines these concepts into a computer program that can calculate the location of a star, and uses the same methods for predicting the locations of the sun, moon, and planets. He then shows how to use these methods for locating the many satellites we have sent into orbit. Finally, he describes a variety of resources and tools available to the amateur astronomer, including star charts and astronomical tables. Diagrams illustrate the major concepts, and computer programs that implement the algorithms are included. Photographs of actual celestial objects accompany the text, and interesting astronomical facts are interspersed throughout.
Source code (in Python 3, JAVA, and Visual Basic) and executables for all the programs and examples presented in the book are available for download at https://CelestialCalculations.github.io.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780262536639 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | MIT Press |
| Publication date: | 05/14/2019 |
| Series: | The MIT Press |
| Pages: | 392 |
| Sales rank: | 1,089,881 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d) |
| Age Range: | 18 Years |
About the Author
Table of Contents
Preface xiii
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Accuracy 4
1.2 Other Notes 6
1.3 Layout of the Book 8
1.4 Program Notes 9
2 Unit Conversions 11
2.1 Some Preliminaries 11
2.2 Measuring Large Distances 14
2.3 Decimal Format Conversions 15
2.4 Program Notes 19
2.5 Exercises 19
3 Time Conversions 21
3.1 Defining a Day 22
3.2 Defining a Month 25
3.3 Defining a Year 26
3.4 Defining Time of Day 27
3.5 Calendar Systems 38
3.6 Julian Day Numbers 40
3.7 Some Calculations with Dates 44
3.8 LCT to UT 46
3.9 UT to LCT 46
3.10 UT to GST 47
3.11 GST to UT 48
3.12 GST to LST 49
3.13 LST to GST 50
3.14 Program Notes 50
3.15 Exercises 51
4 Orbits and Coordinate Systems 53
4.1 Trigonometric Functions 54
4.2 Locating Objects on a Sphere 56
4.3 The Celestial Sphere 62
4.4 Ellipses 65
4.5 Orbital Elements 68
4.6 Equatorial Coordinate System 84
4.7 Horizon Coordinate System 88
4.8 Ecliptic Coordinate System 91
4.9 Galactic Coordinate System 96
4.10 Precession and Other Corrections 101
4.11 Program Notes 105
4.12 Exercises 106
5 Stars in the Nighttime Sky 109
5.1 Locating a Star 111
5.2 Star Rising and Setting Times 115
5.3 Creating Star Charts 119
5.4 Program Notes 123
5.5 Exercises 124
6 The Sun 125
6.1 Some Notes about the Sun 125
6.2 Locating the Sun 131
6.3 Sunrise and Sunset 138
6.4 Equinoxes and Solstices 140
6.5 Solar Distance and Angular Diameter 144
6.6 Equation of Time 147
6.7 Program Notes 149
6.8 Exercises 149
7 The Moon 151
7.1 Some Notes about the Moon 151
7.2 Lunar Exploration 158
7.3 Locating the Moon 161
7.4 Moonrise and Moonset 169
7.5 Lunar Distance and Angular Diameter 172
7.6 Phases of the Moon 173
7.7 Eclipses 181
7.8 Program Notes 184
7.9 Exercises 185
8 Our Solar System 187
8.1 The Search for Planets 189
8.2 The Inner Planets 193
8.3 The Outer Planets 203
8.4 The Dwarf Planets 219
8.5 Belts, Discs, and Clouds 225
8.6 Locating the Planets 231
8.7 Planet Rise and Set Times 244
8.8 Planetary Distance and Angular Diameter 245
8.9 Perihelion and Aphelion 247
8.10 Planet Phases 250
8.11 Planetary Magnitude 251
8.12 Miscellaneous Calculations 253
8.13 Program Notes 263
8.14 Exercises 263
9 Satellites 265
9.1 Vectors 269
9.2 Ellipses Revisited 271
9.3 Geocentric and Topocentric Coordinates 276
9.4 Satellite Orbital Elements 284
9.5 Categorizing Satellite Orbits 302
9.6 Locating a Satellite 307
9.7 Satellite Rise and Set Times 311
9.8 Satellite Distance 313
9.9 Other Flight Dynamics 315
9.10 Program Notes 326
9.11 Exercises 327
10 Astronomical Aids 331
10.1 Recommended Authors 332
10.2 Star Charts 333
10.3 Star Catalogs 336
10.4 Ephemerides and Almanacs 340
10.5 Astronomical Calendars 344
10.6 Online Resources 345
10.7 High-Accuracy Resources 348
Glossary 351
Index 365
What People are Saying About This
In this age with the Gaia spacecraft bringing attention to the importance of astrometry, here is a book for do-it-yourselfers who want to work with star positions, time-system and calendar conversions, and other mathematical calculations of astronomical interest. The book has the detailed quality you'd expect with its MIT imprimatur.
—Jay Pasachoff, Field Memorial Professor of Astronomy, Williams College, author of the Peterson Field Guide to the Stars and Planets, 4th ed.; coauthor of The Cosmos: Astronomy in the New Millennium, 5th ed.This book is a great resource for anyone wishing to explore the applied mathematics of solar system celestial mechanics. The step-by-step guide to calculating orbits, sunrise-sunset time, and lunar and solar position forecasting is so good that even a professional astronomer will find it an invaluable reference book.
—Dr. Sten Odenwald, Director, Citizen Science NASA Space Science Education ConsortiumIn today's new era of cubesats and extrasolar asteroids, it's fun to explore the "What ifs... ?" of where these things can go. With Jackie Lawrence's new Celestial Calculations book, it's now possible for anyone with high school trig to do back-of-the-envelope calculations exploring the future of Elon Musk's Starman, or possible configurations of alien solar systems. This is my new quick reference for calculating 'Where will it go?' and 'Where can I see it?'
—Pamela Gay, Senior Scientist, Planetary Science Institute