Adventures In Celestial Mechanics

A fascinating introduction to the basic principles of orbital mechanics It has been three hundred years since Isaac Newton first formulated laws to explain the orbits of the Moon and the planets of our solar system. In so doing he laid the groundwork for modern science's understanding of the workings of the cosmos and helped pave the way to the age of space exploration. Adventures in Celestial Mechanics offers students an enjoyable way to become acquainted with the basic principles involved in the motions of natural and human-made bodies in space. Packed with examples in which these principles are applied to everything from a falling stone to the Sun, from space probes to galaxies, this updated and revised Second Edition is an ideal introduction to celestial mechanics for students of astronomy, physics, and aerospace engineering. Other features that helped make the first edition of this book the text of choice in colleges and universities across North America include: * Lively historical accounts of important discoveries in celestial mechanics and the men and women who made them * Superb illustrations, photographs, charts, and tables * Helpful chapter-end examples and problem sets

"In this well-written textbook, one of the world's leading authorities provides an expert introduction to the principles of orbital mechanics, with applications to the dynamics of space probes, artificial satellites, and members of the solar system. In Professor Szebehely's own words, his aim is "to infatuate students with the beauty of celestial mechanics, to emphasize the basic and simple principles, and to offer as challenges the fascinating, unsolved problems in this field." "--Back cover.

Celestial Mechanics and Astrodynamics

This volume is designed as an introductory text and reference book for graduate students, researchers and practitioners in the fields of astronomy, astrodynamics, satellite systems, space sciences and astrophysics. The purpose of the book is to emphasize the similarities between celestial mechanics and astrodynamics, and to present recent advances in these two fields so that the reader can understand the inter-relations and mutual influences. The juxtaposition of celestial mechanics and astrodynamics is a unique approach that is expected to be a refreshing attempt to discuss both the mechanics of space flight and the dynamics of celestial objects. “Celestial Mechanics and Astrodynamics: Theory and Practice” also presents the main challenges and future prospects for the two fields in an elaborate, comprehensive and rigorous manner. The book presents homogenous and fluent discussions of the key problems, rendering a portrayal of recent advances in the field together with some basic concepts and essential infrastructure in orbital mechanics. The text contains introductory material followed by a gradual development of ideas interweaved to yield a coherent presentation of advanced topics.

This book provides an introduction to classical celestial mechanics. It is based on lectures delivered by the authors over many years at both Padua University (MC) and V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University (EB). The book aims to provide a mathematical description of the gravitational interaction of celestial bodies. The approach to the problem is purely formal. It allows the authors to write equations of motion and solve them to the greatest degree possible, either exactly or by approximate techniques, when there is no other way. The results obtained provide predictions that can be compared with the observations. Five chapters are supplemented by appendices that review certain mathematical tools, deepen some questions (so as not to interrupt the logic of the mainframe with heavy technicalities), give some examples, and provide an overview of special functions useful here, as well as in many other fields of physics. The authors also present the original investigation of torus potential. This book is aimed at senior undergraduate students of physics or astrophysics, as well as graduate students undertaking a master’s degree or Ph.D.

Dear Reader, Here is your book. Take it, run with it, pass it, punt it, enjoy all the many things that you can do with it, but-above all-read it. Like all textbooks, it was written to help you increase your knowledge; unlike all too many textbooks that you have bought, it will be fun to read. A preface usually tells of the author's reasons for writing the book and the author's goals for the reader, followed by a swarm of other important matters that must be attended to yet fit nowhere else in the book. I am fortunate in being able to include an insightful prepublication review that goes directly to my motivations and goals. (Look for it following this preface.) That leaves only those other important matters. In preparing the text, I consulted a number of books, chief of which included these: • S. Chandrasekhar, Ellipsoidal Figures of Equilibrium, Yale Uni versity Press, 1969. • J .M.A. Danby, Fundamentals of Celestial Mechanics, Macmil lan, 1962. Now available in a 2nd edition, 3rd printing, revised, corrected and enlarged, Willmann-Bell, 1992. • Y. Hagihara, Theories of Equilibrium Figures of a Rotating Ho mogeneous Fluid Mass, NASA, 1970. • R.A. Lyttleton, The Stability of Rotating Liquid Masses, C- ix x PREFACE bridge University Press, 1953. • C.B. Officer, Introduction to Theoretical Geophysics, Springer Verlag, 1974. • A.S. Ramsey, Newtonian Attraction, Cambridge University Press, 1949. • W.M. Smart, Celestial Mechanics, Longmans, Green, and Co, 1953.