Category:Astronomy

Books

• Practical Astronomy With Your Calculator by Peter Duffett-Smith, 3rd Edition, Cambridge University Press, 1988. ISBN 0-5213-5699-7
• Astronomical Algorithms by Jean Meeus, 2nd Edition, Willmann-Bell, 1998. ISBN 0-9433-9661-1
• Astronomical Formulae for Calculators by Jean Meeus, 3rd Edition, Willmann-Bell, 1985. ISBN 0-9433-9609-3
• Planetary Programs and Tables from -4000 to +2800 by Pierre Bretagnon and Jean-Louis Simon, Willmann-Bell, 1986.
• Celestial BASIC: Astronomy on Your Computer by Eric Burgess, Revised Edition, Sybex, 1985. ISBN 0-8958-8087-3

Programs, algorithms, and code

• Astro::Sunrise
• Astro::MoonPhase
• Astro::Coord
• Geo::Distance

Equations

Geo::Distance

Note: The d at the end of each of the following equations means "distance".

• hsin: Haversine Formula

 dlon = lon2 - lon1
 dlat = lat2 - lat1
 a = (sin(dlat/2))^2 + cos(lat1) * cos(lat2) * (sin(dlon/2))^2
 c = 2 * atan2( sqrt(a), sqrt(1-a) )
 d = R * c

Note: The hsin formula has improved accuracy over the cos formula.

• polar: Polar Coordinate Flat-Earth Formula

 a = pi/2 - lat1
 b = pi/2 - lat2
 c = sqrt( a^2 + b^2 - 2 * a * b * cos(lon2 - lon1) )
 d = R * c 

• cos: Law of Cosines for Spherical Trigonometry

 a = sin(lat1) * sin(lat2)
 b = cos(lat1) * cos(lat2) * cos(lon2 - lon1)
 c = arccos(a + b)
 d = R * c

Note: Although this formula is mathematically exact, it is unreliable for small distances because the inverse cosine is ill-conditioned.

• gcd: Great Circle Distance.

 c = 2 * asin( sqrt(
   ( sin(( lat1 - lat2 )/2) )^2 + 
   cos( lat1 ) * cos( lat2 ) * 
   ( sin(( lon1 - lon2 )/2) )^2
 ) )

• mt: Math::Trig great_circle_distance

 lat0 = 90 degrees - phi0
 lat1 = 90 degrees - phi1
 d = R * arccos(cos(lat0) * cos(lat1) * cos(lon1 - lon01) + sin(lat0) * sin(lat1))

Convert right ascension and declination to altitude and azimuth

Given the hour angle H of the object with right ascension RA and declination DEC, and the observer's latitude LAT:

azimuth = atan2(sin(H), cos(H) * sin(LAT) - tan(DEC) * cos(LAT))
altitude = asin(sin(LAT) * sin(DEC) + cos(LAT)* cos(DEC) * cos(H))

where "atan2(x,y)" is C-library function equivalent to "atan(x/y)".

Hour angle

Given an object with right ascension RA and the observer's longitude LONG, and the sidereal time at Greenwich ST:

H = ST - LONG - RA 

where LONG is positive to the west and ST is represented as an angle. If you measure longitude to the east:

H = ST + LONG - RA. 

Calculate the date of Easter

see: (FAQ) Astronomical Calculations for the Amateur

Note: Easter is the first Sunday after the first full Moon following the vernal equinox.

This is "astronomical Easter", and it is usually but not always the same day as "ecclesiastical Easter", which is the date used by the churches and printed on calendars. "Ecclesiastical Easter" is determined by a formula codified many years ago.

Perform integer math and drop all remainders. It is valid for any Gregorian year "Y":

C = Y / 100
N = Y - 19 * (Y / 19)
K = (C - 17) / 25
I = C - C / 4 - (C - K) / 3 + 19 * N + 15
I = I - 30 * (I / 30)
I = I - (I / 28) * (1 - (I / 28) * (29 / (I + 1)) * ((21 - N) / 11))
J = Y + Y / 4 + I + 2 - C + C / 4
J = J - 7 * (J / 7)
L = I - J
M = 3 + (L + 40) / 44
D = L + 28 - 31 * (M / 4) 

"M" is the month number (3 -> March, 4 -> April) and "D" is the day of the month.

External links

• Wiki Sky
• Approximate position of the Moon
• HM Nautical Almanac Office
• Sun rise and set, and twilight
• Lunar Eclipse Computer
• Astrolabe: Astronomical subroutines and applications
• Jean Meeus: The Sun API
• Planetarium Software
• How to create a ZIP code distance lookup table with 1 line of SQL
• wikipedia:Haversine formula
• wikipedia:Numerical model of solar system
• wikipedia:Jean Meeus