This text details the fundamentals of astrometry at milli- and micro-arcsecond accuracies.

Providing a broad overview of foundational concepts, this second edition of Fundamentals of Astronomy covers topics ranging from spherical astronomy to reference systems, and celestial mechanics to astronomical photometry and spectroscopy. It expounds arguments of classical astronomy that provided the foundation for modern astrometry, whilst presenting the latest results of the very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI) radio technique, optical interferometers and satellites such as Hipparcos and GAIA, and recent resolutions of the IAU and IERS regarding precession, forced and free nutation, and Earth figure and rotation. Concepts of general relativity are explored, such as the advance of Mercury’s perihelion, light deflection and black holes, in addition to the physical properties, orbits, and ephemerides of planets, comets and asteroids with an extension to visual binary stars orbital reconstruction. Extrasolar planets are also discussed, with reference to radial velocity and transits measurements by ground and space telescopes. Basic concepts of astronomical photometry, spectroscopy and polarimetry are given, including the influence of the terrestrial atmosphere. Classical works, such as Hipparchus, are mentioned in order to provide a flavor of the historical development of the field. It is an ideal textbook for undergraduate and graduate students studying astronomy, astrophysics, mathematics, and engineering. Supplementary and explanatory notes provide readers with references to additional material published in other literature and scientific journals, whilst solved and unsolved exercises allow students to review their understanding of the material. Features: Provides an introductory vision of arguments from spherical astronomy to celestial mechanics to astronomical photometry and spectroscopy Presents the information at an introductory level without sacrificing scientific rigor Fully updated throughout with the latest results in the field

Unifying work by a broad range of experts in the field, this is the most complete textbook on observational astrometry.

An authoritative account of the contributions to science made by the Hipparcos satellite, for astronomers, astrophysicists and cosmologists.

For the last twenty years astronomy has been developing dramatically. Until the nineteen-fifties, telescopes, spectrometers, and photographic plates consti tuted a relatively simple set of tools which had been refined to a high degree of perfection by the joint efforts of physicists and astronomers. Indeed these tools helped at the birth of modern astrophysics: the discovery of the expan sion of the Universe. Then came radioastronomy and the advent of electronics; the last thirty years have seen the application to astrophysics of a wealth of new experimental techniques, based on the most advanced fields of physics, and a constant interchange of ideas between physicists and astronomers. Last, but not least, modern computers have sharply reduced the burden of dealing with the information painfully extracted from the skies, whether from ever scarce photons, or from the gigantic data flows provided by satellites and large telescopes. The aim of this book is not to give an extensive overview of all the tech niques currently in use in astronomy, nor to provide detailed instructions for preparing or carrying out an astronomical project. Its purpose is methodologi cal: photons are still the main carriers of information between celestial sources and the observer. How we are to collect, sample, measure, and store this infor mation is the unifying theme of the book. Rather than the diversity of tech niques appropriate for each wavelength range, we emphasize the physical and mathematical bases which are common to all wavelength regimes.

Astrometry encompasses all that is necessary to provide the positions and motions of celestial bodies. This includes observational techniques, instrumentation, processing and analysis of observational data, reference systems and frames, and the resulting astronomical phenomena. Astrometry is fundamental to all other fields of astronomy, from the pointing of telescopes, to navigation and guidance systems, to distance and motion determinations for astrophysics. In the last few decades, new observational techniques have enabled improvements in accuracy by orders of magnitude. Starting from basic principles, this book provides the fundamentals for this new astrometry at milli- and micro-arcsecond accuracies. Topics include: basics of general relativity; co-ordinate systems; vectors, tensors, quaternions, and observational uncertainties; determination and use of the celestial and terrestrial reference systems and frames; applications of new observational techniques; present and future star catalogues and double star astrometry. This comprehensive reference will be invaluable for graduate students and research astronomers.

This authoritative book presents the theoretical development of gravitational physics as it applies to the dynamics of celestial bodies and the analysis of precise astronomical observations. In so doing, it fills the need for a textbook that teaches modern dynamical astronomy with a strong emphasis on the relativistic aspects of the subject produced by the curved geometry of four-dimensional spacetime. The first three chapters review the fundamental principles of celestial mechanics and of special and general relativity. This background material forms the basis for understanding relativistic reference frames, the celestial mechanics of N-body systems, and high-precision astrometry, navigation, and geodesy, which are then treated in the following five chapters. The final chapter provides an overview of the new field of applied relativity, based on recent recommendations from the International Astronomical Union. The book is suitable for teaching advanced undergraduate honors programs and graduate courses, while equally serving as a reference for professional research scientists working in relativity and dynamical astronomy. The authors bring their extensive theoretical and practical experience to the subject. Sergei Kopeikin is a professor at the University of Missouri, while Michael Efroimsky and George Kaplan work at the United States Naval Observatory, one of the world?s premier institutions for expertise in astrometry, celestial mechanics, and timekeeping.

This accessible reference presents the evolution of concepts of time and methods of time keeping, for historians, scientists, engineers, and educators. The second edition has been updated throughout to describe twentieth- and twenty-first-century advances, progress in devices, time and cosmology, the redefinition of SI units, and the future of UTC.

Astronomy is written in clear non-technical language, with the occasional touch of humor and a wide range of clarifying illustrations. It has many analogies drawn from everyday life to help non-science majors appreciate, on their own terms, what our modern exploration of the universe is revealing. The book can be used for either aone-semester or two-semester introductory course (bear in mind, you can customize your version and include only those chapters or sections you will be teaching.) It is made available free of charge in electronic form (and low cost in printed form) to students around the world. If you have ever thrown up your hands in despair over the spiraling cost of astronomy textbooks, you owe your students a good look at this one. Coverage and Scope Astronomy was written, updated, and reviewed by a broad range of astronomers and astronomy educators in a strong community effort. It is designed to meet scope and sequence requirements of introductory astronomy courses nationwide. Chapter 1: Science and the Universe: A Brief Tour Chapter 2: Observing the Sky: The Birth of Astronomy Chapter 3: Orbits and Gravity Chapter 4: Earth, Moon, and Sky Chapter 5: Radiation and Spectra Chapter 6: Astronomical Instruments Chapter 7: Other Worlds: An Introduction to the Solar System Chapter 8: Earth as a Planet Chapter 9: Cratered Worlds Chapter 10: Earthlike Planets: Venus and Mars Chapter 11: The Giant Planets Chapter 12: Rings, Moons, and Pluto Chapter 13: Comets and Asteroids: Debris of the Solar System Chapter 14: Cosmic Samples and the Origin of the Solar System Chapter 15: The Sun: A Garden-Variety Star Chapter 16: The Sun: A Nuclear Powerhouse Chapter 17: Analyzing Starlight Chapter 18: The Stars: A Celestial Census Chapter 19: Celestial Distances Chapter 20: Between the Stars: Gas and Dust in Space Chapter 21: The Birth of Stars and the Discovery of Planets outside the Solar System Chapter 22: Stars from Adolescence to Old Age Chapter 23: The Death of Stars Chapter 24: Black Holes and Curved Spacetime Chapter 25: The Milky Way Galaxy Chapter 26: Galaxies Chapter 27: Active Galaxies, Quasars, and Supermassive Black Holes Chapter 28: The Evolution and Distribution of Galaxies Chapter 29: The Big Bang Chapter 30: Life in the Universe Appendix A: How to Study for Your Introductory Astronomy Course Appendix B: Astronomy Websites, Pictures, and Apps Appendix C: Scientific Notation Appendix D: Units Used in Science Appendix E: Some Useful Constants for Astronomy Appendix F: Physical and Orbital Data for the Planets Appendix G: Selected Moons of the Planets Appendix H: Upcoming Total Eclipses Appendix I: The Nearest Stars, Brown Dwarfs, and White Dwarfs Appendix J: The Brightest Twenty Stars Appendix K: The Chemical Elements Appendix L: The Constellations Appendix M: Star Charts and Sky Event Resources

This well-schooled text provides a detailed description of how to perform practical astronomy or spherical astronomy. It is an authoritative source on astronomical phenomena and calendars.