The General History of Astronomy. Volume 2B. Planetary Astronomy from the Renaissance to the Rise of Astrophysics.

Royal 8vo. xiii, [1], 281, [1] pp. Illus., index. Black gilt-stamped cloth, dust-jacket. Near fine. ISBN: 0521351685 Hardcover issue. Part B of Planetary Astronomy from the Renaissance to the Rise of Astrophysics continues the history of celestial mechanics and observational discovery through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It provides a synoptic view of the main developments and furnishes details about the lives, ideas, and interactions of the various astronomers involved. Twelve different authors have contributed their expertise to this book that begins with the reception of Newton's inverse-square law. In the remainder, a large place is given to the development of the mathematical theory of celestial mechanics from Clairaut and Euler to LeVerrier, Newcomb, Hill, and Poincare. This emphasis is balanced by other chapters on observational discoveries and the rapprochement of observation and theory (for instance, the discovery of Uranus and the asteroids, use of Venus transits to refine solar parallax, introduction of the method of least squares, and the development of planetary and satellite ephemerides). Lists of "Further Reading" provide entry to the literature of the several topics. This book will be of great interest to historians of science and astronomers." TABLE OF CONTENTS: Part V. Early Phases in the Reception of Newton's Theory: 14. The vortex theory in competition with Newtonian celestial dynamics Eric J. Aiton / 15. The shape of the Earth Seymour L. Chapin / 16. Clairaut and the motion of the lunar apse: The inverse-square law undergoes a test Craig B. Waff / 17. The precession of the equinoxes from Newton to d'Alembert and Euler Curtis Wilson / 18. The solar tables of Lacaille and the lunar tables of Mayer Eric G. Forbes and Curtis Wilson / 19. Predicting the mid-eighteenth-century return of Halley's Comet Craig B. Waff. Part VI. Celestial Mechanics During the Eighteenth Century: 20. The problem of perturbation analytically treated: Euler, Clairaut, d'Alembert Curtis Wilson / 21. The work of Lagrange in celestial mechanics Curtis Wilson / 22. Laplace Bruno Morando. Part VII. Observational Astronomy and the Application of Theory in the Late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Century: / 23. Measuring solar parallax: The Venus transits of 1761 and 1769 and their nineteenth—century sequels Albert Van Helden / 24. The discovery of Uranus, the Titius-Bode and the asteroids Michael Hoskin / 25. Eighteenth—and nineteenth century developments in the theory and practice of orbit determination Brian G. Marsden / 26. The introduction of statistical reasoning into astronomy: from Newton to Poincare Oscar Sheynin / 27. Astronomy and the theory of errors: from the method of averages to the method of least squares F. Schmeidler. Part VIII. The Development of Theory During the Nineteenth Century: / 28. The golden age of celestial mechanics Bruno Morando. Part IX. The Application of Celestial Mechanics to the Solar System to the End of the Nineteenth Century: / 29. Three centuries of lunar and planetary ephemerides and tables Bruno Morando / 30. Satellite ephemerides to 1900 Yoshihide Kozai.…