Modern Questions Of Celestial Mechanics

C. Agostinelli: Sul problema delle aurore boreali e il moto di un corpuscolo elettrizzato in presenza di un dipolo magnetico.- G. Colombo: Introduction to the theory of earth’s motion about its center of mass.- E.M. Gaposchkin: The motion of the pole and the earth’s elasticity as studied from the gravity field of the earth by means of artificial earth satellites.- I.I. Shapiro: Radar astronomy, general relativity, and celestial mechanics.- V. Szebehely: Applications of the restricted problem of three bodies in space research.- G.A. Wilkins: The analysis of the observation of the satellites of Mars.

C. Agostinelli: Sul problema delle aurore boreali e il moto di un corpuscolo elettrizzato in presenza di un dipolo magnetico.- G. Colombo: Introduction to the theory of earth’s motion about its center of mass.- E.M. Gaposchkin: The motion of the pole and the earth’s elasticity as studied from the gravity field of the earth by means of artificial earth satellites.- I.I. Shapiro: Radar astronomy, general relativity, and celestial mechanics.- V. Szebehely: Applications of the restricted problem of three bodies in space research.- G.A. Wilkins: The analysis of the observation of the satellites of Mars.

In the last 20 years, researchers in the field of celestial mechanics have achieved spectacular results in their effort to understand the structure and evolution of our solar system. Modern Celestial Mechanics uses a solid theoretical basis to describe recent results on solar system dynamics, and it emphasizes the dynamics of planets and of small bodies. To grasp celestial mechanics, one must comprehend the fundamental concepts of Hamiltonian systems theory, so this volume begins with an explanation of those concepts. Celestial mechanics itself is then considered, including the secular motion of planets and small bodies and mean motion resonances. Graduate students and researchers of astronomy and astrophysics will find Modern Celestial Mechanics an essential addition to their bookshelves.

In the last 20 years, researchers in the field of celestial mechanics have achieved spectacular results in their effort to understand the structure and evolution of our solar system. Modern Celestial Mechanics uses a solid theoretical basis to describe recent results on solar system dynamics, and it emphasizes the dynamics of planets and of small bodies. To grasp celestial mechanics, one must comprehend the fundamental concepts of Hamiltonian systems theory, so this volume begins with an explanation of those concepts. Celestial mechanics itself is then considered, including the secular motion of planets and small bodies and mean motion resonances. Graduate students and researchers of astronomy and astrophysics will find Modern Celestial Mechanics an essential addition to their bookshelves.

The aim of this book is to demonstrate to a wider audience, as well as to a more skilled audience, the many fascinating aspects of modern celestial mechanics. It sets out to do this without the use of mathematics. After giving the reader the technical tools needed for a basic understanding of the underlying physical phenomena (using only elementary mathematics), facts and figures are provided on historical events, modern discoveries and future applications. Contents are divided into major topics where the three "souls" of modern celestial mechanics (dynamical systems, Solar System and stellar systems, spaceflight dynamics) play a major role.

This volume contains the detailed text of the major lectures and the abstracts of the lectures delivered during the seminar sessions. The subject of our NATO Advanced Study Institute in 1981 was the Application of Modern Dynamics to Celestial Mechanics and Astrodynamics. This Preface will first explain the terminology, then it will review shortly the content of the lectures and will outline how all this was made possible and, finally, it will disclose our future aspirations. Periodicity is an extremely important concept in our field, therefore, it should not be unexpected that our NATO Advanced Study Institute is enjoying a period of three years. Since 1972 we conducted four Institutes with increasing interest and en thusiasm displayed by the participants, lecturers and by this Director. Celestial Mechanics or Dynamical Astronomy is part of Astronomy dealing mostly with the motion of natural celestial bodies. Astrodynamics or Orbital Mechanics is the application of dynamics to problems of Space Engineering and it treats mostly the dynamical behavior of artificial satellites and space probes. The underlying mathematical and dynamical principles are, of course, the same for Celestial Mechanics and for Astrodynamics. This Director of the Institute and Editor of the Proceedings was extremely fortunate to have obtained the cooperation of out standing lecturers who were clear, thorough, understandable, patient to answer questions, but above all, had knowledge of the ix V. Szebehely (ed.). Applications of Modern Dynamics to Celestial Mechanics and Astrodynamics. ix-x.