Historical Eclipses and Earth's Rotation
Editorial Reviews
Review
'It will certainly replace earlier books as the standard text in this long-established field.' The Observatory
'In this book the sources are comprehensively and lucidly discussed. For serious geophysicists the book is necessary reading. For the rest of us the sheer breadth and depth of research into ancient sources for practical modern purposes must surely be an inspiration.' Clockmakers's Times
'The comprehensive nature of the work makes it an excellent reference.' D. E. Hogg, Choice
Book Description
The culmination of many years of research, this book discusses ancient and medieval eclipse observations and their importance in studying Earth's past rotation. This is the first major book on this subject in twenty years. The author has specialized for many years in the interpretation of early astronomical records and their application to problems in modern astronomy. The book contains an in-depth discussion of numerous eclipse records from Babylon, China, Europe and the Arab lands. The author provides translations of almost every record studied. He shows that although tides play a dominant long-term role in producing variations in Earth's rate of rotation--causing a gradual increase in the length of the day--there are significant and variable nontidal changes in opposition to the main trend. This book is intended for geophysicists, astronomers (especially those with an interest in history), historians and orientalists.
Historical Eclipses and Earth's Rotation,F. Richard Stephenson,Cambridge University Press,0521461944,Astronomy - Solar System,Cosmology,Earth,Eclipses,History,Rotation,Science,Science/Mathematics,Cosmology & the universe,Science / Astronomy
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