The American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac
was published for the years 1855 to 1980, containing information necessary for astronomers, surveyors, and navigators. It was based on the original British publication,
The Nautical Almanac and Astronomical Ephemeris
, with which it merged to form
The Astronomical Almanac
, published from the year 1981 to the present.
History
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Authorized by Congress in 1849, the American Nautical Almanac Office was founded and attached to the
Department of the Navy
with
Charles Henry Davis
as the first superintendent.
[1]
The
American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac
was first published in 1852, containing data for the year 1855. Its data was originally calculated by human "computers", such as
Chauncey Wright
and
Joseph Winlock
. Between 1855 and 1881 it had two parts, the first for the
meridian of Greenwich
contained data on the
Sun
,
Moon
,
lunar distances
,
Venus
,
Mars
,
Jupiter
, and
Saturn
, which was published separately as
The American Nautical Almanac
. The second part contained data for the
meridian of Washington
on the Sun, Moon, planets, principal stars,
eclipses
,
occultations
, and other phenomena. Beginning in 1882, data for
Mercury
,
Uranus
, and
Neptune
was added to the first part, with eclipses, occultations, and other phenomena forming a separate third part. In 1916,
The American Nautical Almanac
ceased to be a reprint of the first part of the
American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac
, becoming a separately prepared volume for the navigator. In 1937, the
American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac
was divided into seven parts, with data for the meridian of Washington substantially reduced, then eliminated beginning in 1951. Data for
Pluto
was added in 1950.
[2]
Beginning in 1960, all parts except for a few introductory pages were jointly calculated and typeset by the American Nautical Almanac Office and
Her Majesty's Nautical Almanac Office
but published separately within
The American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac
and
The Astronomical Ephemeris
, a new name for the old British title
The Nautical Almanac and Astronomical Ephemeris
. Beginning in 1981, the title
The American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac
and the British title
The Astronomical Ephemeris
were completely merged under the single title
The Astronomical Almanac
.
[2]
See also
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References
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External links
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