Abstract
In order to investigate the variation of the Earth’s rotation speed we have been using ancient solar eclipses and lunar occultations. We are also studying whether or not the Moon’s tidal acceleration has been constant from ancient times.
In this paper we show that the records of solar eclipses between 198 and 181 BC in China and in Rome give a value for the lunar tidal acceleration that is consistent with the current one. We also show that the records of lunar occultations of Venus and Saturn in AD 503 and 513 in China are useful for our studies of the Earth’s rotation.
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Sôma, M., Tanikawa, K. (2015). Determination of ΔT and Lunar Tidal Acceleration from Ancient Eclipses and Occultations. In: Orchiston, W., Green, D., Strom, R. (eds) New Insights From Recent Studies in Historical Astronomy: Following in the Footsteps of F. Richard Stephenson. Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings, vol 43. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07614-0_2
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