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'The biggest change from previous editions is the inclusion of spreadsheets for nearly every calculation … All in all, this book does a good job at what it sets out to do. The formulas and algorithms are presented clearly and with an appropriate level of detail, and the spreadsheets supplement the text by showing an additional way to perform the computations without having to resort to a scientific calculator or writing your own programs.' Michael Coren, AstroMart.com
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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.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Spiral-bound
This is a great book for calculations that are relevant to astronomy. It covers aspects of calendars and time (Julian dates, sidereal time, ephemeris time etc), the major coordinate systems (and conversions between them), as well as the positions of the Sun, Moon & planets. Despite being a book of calculations, it does come with some background information on the topics covered to set the scene in each section.
Like a culinary recipe book, I tend to come to this book already knowing what I want to do (e.g. calculate the position of the Moon in the sky) and then just follow the appropriate calculations. The recipes sometimes require you to refer back to previous sections but they are always clear to follow. The worked examples are also very useful to check against if you've transcribed the calculations into your own software.
All-in-all a nice update to the original edition.
Like a culinary recipe book, I tend to come to this book already knowing what I want to do (e.g. calculate the position of the Moon in the sky) and then just follow the appropriate calculations. The recipes sometimes require you to refer back to previous sections but they are always clear to follow. The worked examples are also very useful to check against if you've transcribed the calculations into your own software.
All-in-all a nice update to the original edition.
Format:Spiral-bound|Amazon Verified Purchase
I purchased the third edition of this book many years ago. At that time it did not include speadsheets. The spreadsheets included in the current edition are excellent and produce more accurate results than before. They can all be downloaded from the website given in the book which takes all the hard work out of the process. A truely excellent book.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Good Introduction to Astronomical Calculations
27 Oct 2011
Format:Spiral-bound|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is not a textbook on celestial mechanics, and it makes no pretense of being one. Although there is a good deal of explanatory information and diagrams, particularly in the discussions of orbits, the authors state right in the preface that the calculations are "recipes," and that they mostly consider only the essential factors and ignore many of the more complicated corrections needed for the most precise results. In spite of this, the results of these calculations are typically accurate to within about a tenth of a degree or better, which is well within the field of view of a telescope at medium powers.
The main change from the previous edition, as the title indicates (and the authors explain in the preface), is the addition of spreadsheets for nearly every calculation. The spreadsheets themselves can be downloaded at the publisher's web site [...], and include macros for high precision computations as well. For readers who are not familiar with using spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel and the freely distributed OpenOffice Calc, the book includes an introduction showing the basics of how to use them.
For the most part, the math is limited to high school trigonometry, e.g. sines, cosines, and tangents. The one exception is the section on coordinate transformations using matrices, but this section supplements other methods and is accompanied by a brief but sufficient overview of what a matrix is and how to multiply matrices for those who are not familiar with them.
While I can certainly think of additions I would have liked to see in this new edition (such as discussions of asteroids and trans-Neptunian objects, lunar librations, and an updated comet table), all in all, this book does a good job at what it sets out to do. The formulas and algorithms are presented clearly and with an appropriate level of detail, and the authors walk you through all of the examples in step-by-step detail, showing you the intermediate results you should obtain at each stage. The spreadsheets do a good job supplementing the text and demonstrate an additional tool for performing the calculations.
The main change from the previous edition, as the title indicates (and the authors explain in the preface), is the addition of spreadsheets for nearly every calculation. The spreadsheets themselves can be downloaded at the publisher's web site [...], and include macros for high precision computations as well. For readers who are not familiar with using spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Excel and the freely distributed OpenOffice Calc, the book includes an introduction showing the basics of how to use them.
For the most part, the math is limited to high school trigonometry, e.g. sines, cosines, and tangents. The one exception is the section on coordinate transformations using matrices, but this section supplements other methods and is accompanied by a brief but sufficient overview of what a matrix is and how to multiply matrices for those who are not familiar with them.
While I can certainly think of additions I would have liked to see in this new edition (such as discussions of asteroids and trans-Neptunian objects, lunar librations, and an updated comet table), all in all, this book does a good job at what it sets out to do. The formulas and algorithms are presented clearly and with an appropriate level of detail, and the authors walk you through all of the examples in step-by-step detail, showing you the intermediate results you should obtain at each stage. The spreadsheets do a good job supplementing the text and demonstrate an additional tool for performing the calculations.
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