Abstract
The solar tables of ibn Yunis and of King Alfonso, those of Kepler, of G. D. and J.-J. Cassini, and of Lalande are compared with Newcomb's theory of the Sun to determine the deceleration of the Earth's rotation. Comparisons of mean motion and of longitude lead to separate determinations. A value for the deceleration,\({{\dot P} \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{\dot P} P}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} P} = (5.0 \pm 2.7) \times 10^{ - 10} yr^{ - 1} \), assumed to be independent of time is obtained for the period — 146 through 1892. This result is based on the assumption that Newcomb's theory converts the Earth's orbital motion into a perfect clock, and the result is independent of lunar and tidal theory. The deceleration seems greater than that obtained from the literature for the tidal deceleration caused by the Moon.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alfonso, X.:Tables of King Alfonso, Venice 1524.
Bialas, V.: 1975,Vistas Astron. 18, 749.
Brouwer, D.: 1952,Astron. J. 57, 125.
Calame, O. and Mulholland, J. D.: 1978, in P. Brosche and J. Sundermann (eds.),Tidal Friction and the Earth's Rotation, Springer Verlag, Berlin.
Cassini, J.-J.: 1740,Tables Astronomique, L'Imprimerie Royale, Paris.
Cassini, J.-J.: 1740,Elements d'Astronomie, L'Imprimerie Royale Paris.
Caussin A.: 1804,Le Livre de la Grande Table Hakemite L'Imprimerie de la Republique, Paris.
Cook, A. H.: 1964, in T. H. Gaskell (ed.)Earth's Mantle, Academic Press, London, p. 63.
Curott, D. R.: 1966,Astron. J. 71, 264.
Dicke, R. H.: 1966, in B. G. Marsden and A. G. W. Cameron (eds.),The Earth-Moon System, Plenum Press, New York.
Dicke, R. H.: 1969,J. Geophys. Res. 74, 5895.
Fortheringham, J. K.: 1920,Monthly Notices Roy. Astron. Soc. 78, 406.
Fotheringham, J. K.: 1920,Montly Notices Roy. Astron. Soc. 81, 104.
Fricke, W.: 1977,Astron. Astrophys. 54, 363.
Goldstein, S. J.: 1981, submitted toAstron. J.
Haskins, C. H.: 1970,Studies in the History of Mediaeval Science, 2nd ed., Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge.
Jeffryes, H.: 1970,The Earth, 5th ed., Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, p. 299.
Kepler, J.: 1627, in Franz Hammer (ed.),Tabulae Rudolphinae 1969 edition Gesammelte Werke Band X, Beck, Munich.
King, D. A.: 1976, in C. C. Gillispie (ed.),Dictionary of Scientific Biography, Scribner, New York.
Lalande (Jerome le Francais): 1792,Astronomie, tome I, L'Imprimerie P. Didot, Paris.
Lambeck, K. 1974,Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. London A287, 545.
Lisitzin, E.: 1974,Sea Level Changes, Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Lyttleton, R. A.: 1979,Quart. J. Roy. Astron. Soc. 20, 243.
Morrison, L. V. and Ward, C. G.: 1975,Monthly Notices Roy. Astron. Soc. 173, 183.
Muller, P. M. and Stephenson, F. R.: 1975 in G. D. Rosenberg and S. K. Runcorn (eds.),Growth Rhythms and the History of the Earth's Rotation, Wiley, New York.
Munk, W. H. and MacDonald, G. J. F.: 1960,The Rotation of the Earth, Cambridge Univ. Press. Cambridge, Chapter 11.
Nautical Almanac Offices 1961,Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Ephemeris and the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac, Her Majesty's Stationary Office, London.
Neugebauer, O.: 1957,The Exact Sciences in Antiquity, Brown Univ. Press, Providence, p. 22.
Newcomb, S. 1895,The Elements of the Four Inner Planets and the Fundamental Constants of Astronomy, Government Printing Office, Washington.
Newcomb, S.: 1898,Tables of the Motion of the Earth, from Astronomical Papers for the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac, Vol. 6, p. 9.
Newton, R. R.: 1970,Ancient Astronomical Observations, Johns Hopkins, Baltimore.
Newton, R. R.: 1976,Ancient Planetary Observations and the Validity of Ephemeris Time, Johns Hopkins, Baltimore.
Newton, R. R.: 1977,The Crime of Claudius Ptolemy, Johns Hopkins, Baltimore.
Newton, R. R.: 1979,The Moon's Acceleration and Its Physical Orgins, Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, p. 455.
Wegener, A. L.: 1905,Alfonsinischen Tafeln, thesis, Friedrich Wilhelms Univ., Berlin.
Williams, J. C., Sinclair, W. S., and Yoder, C. F.: 1978,Geophys. Res. Letters 5, 943.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Goldstein, S.J. Deceleration of the Earth's rotation from old solar tables. Celestial Mechanics 27, 53–63 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01228950
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01228950