The Hill--Brown theory of the Moon's motion. Its coming-to-be and short-lived ascendancy (1877-1984) (Q983264)

This excellent book is a cornerstone in the history of astronomy. It deals with the Hill-Brown theory of the Moon's motion between 1877 and 1984. This theory was the basis for lunar ephemerides in the nautical almanacs up to 1985. In Part I, G.W. Hill's mathematical theory is summarized in the form of a modified restricted three-body system. The new ideas concerning the Moon's inequalities on his orbit are explained. Part II gives the complete theory by E. W. Brown and the construction of tables making possible the predictions and computation of ephemerides. Part III describes the revolutionary developments in time measurements and distance determinations for the Moon's motion since 1950, which led to the replacement of the Hill-Brown theory in 1984. This lively written book contains many biographical notes and well-founded historical comments, and thus can be recommended to amateurs in astronomy and science history, and to instructors and scholars interested in the rapid development of astronomy and physics.