Manual Of Geodetic Astronomy

First published in 1917, this early treatise on “field astronomy” constitutes a comprehensive and informative look at the subject and is thoroughly recommended for inclusion on the bookshelf of all astronomy enthusiasts or historians. It will be of special interest to those with an interest in the history and development of the field, which has undoubtedly gone through significant changes during the last hundred years. Not to be missed by collectors of vintage literature of this ilk. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new introduction on astronomy.

Excerpt from A Manual of Field Astronomy If the reason be demanded for the appearance of another book on Field Astronomy when there are already published several excellent works on the subject, it may be stated as follows: That although any one of them may serve very well as a text for a comparatively extended study, the author has been unable to find one sufficiently concise to fit the short time usually allowed for the work in a civil engineering course which would still provide enough of the fundamentals of the subject to enable the reader to make, intelligently, the observations and accompanying computations required in the practice of general engineering and surveying. Something is needed more complete than the usual chapter in books on surveying and less extensive than most texts on field astronomy. This need, which is acknowledged by other teachers to exist, it is hoped to fill; and at the same time it has been attempted to provide a book which will be of service to engineers and surveyors whose practice requires that they occasionally make astronomical observations. To this end the discussion of fundamentals has been made brief, but it is thought sufficiently thorough for the purpose. Special attention has been given to the matter of measurement of time, because it is believed that this causes more difficulty for students in general than any other part of the subject. In the selection of the methods described for the determination of latitude, azimuth, time, and longitude, care has been taken to choose those which are believed to be most capable of producing results when used with field instruments under ordinary field conditions. Realizing that the determination of azimuth is more frequently required than any other observation, more methods have been given for this than for the other problems. Each observation has been presented essentially as follows: The work of which the observation consists is first stated briefly, followed by the relations and theory on which it depends, accompanied by such explanation as seems necessary. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from A Text-Book of Geodetic Astronomy The purpose of this book is to furnish a text which is sufficiently short and easy to be mastered by the student of civil engineering in a single college term, but which shall give him a sufficiently exact and extensive knowledge of geodetic astronomy to serve as a basis for practice in that line after graduation. Though the book has been prepared primarily for students, the author has endeavored to insert such subject-matter, tables, and convenient formulae as would make it of value as a manual for the engineer making astronomical observations. In order to make the book sufficiently short it has been necessary to omit all mathematical processes except those actually necessary for developing the working formulae. And as the object of the work is to teach a certain limited branch of astronomy, rather than to teach mathematics, the simpler and special means of deriving the working formulae have been chosen, in every case in which there was a chance for choice, instead of the more difficult and general derivation that would naturally be chosen by the mathematician. The occasion for the book is the fact that in the course of study prescribed for students of civil engineering at Cornell University but five hours per week for one term can be devoted to the text-book work and lectures on astronomy. Under these conditions it is out of the question to use Chauvenet's standard work. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.