Relativistic Celestial Mechanics of the Solar System

Filling a gap in the market for a textbook that teaches the modern developments with an emphasis on relativistic aspects, this very authoritative book carefully develops and conveys the theory vital for a sound knowledge of the motions of celestial bodies. The authors work at the United States Naval Observatory -- one of the greatest pools of celestial mechanics expertise in the world -- and use the first four chapters to review the fundamental principles of classical celestial mechanics, and of special and general relativity. This background material is essential for an understanding of relativistic celestial mechanics, which is treated in Chapter 5, while Chapter 6 takes into account recent resolutions of the International Astronomical Union. The final two chapters cover unresolved issues and references. Suitable for advanced undergraduate honors programs and graduate courses, as well as for professional scientists working in the field.

Sergei Kopeikin studied general relativity at the Department of Astronomy of Moscow State University, Russia. He obtained his PhD in relativistic astrophysics from Moscow State University in 1986, where he was then employed as an associate professor. In 1993, he moved to Japan to teach astronomy at Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo. He was an adjunct staff member and thereafter visiting professor at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. In 1997, Professor Kopeikin moved to Germany and worked at the Institute of Theoretical Physics of the Friedrich Schiller University, Jena. Three years later he accepted the position of a professor of physics at the University of Missouri, Columbia, USA.

Michael Efroimsky is a research scientist at the United States Naval Observatory. His research focuses on celestial mechanics and solar system studies. He received his Ph.D. from Oxford in 1995 and he subsequently worked at Tufts, Harvard, and the University of Minnesota. An experienced teacher, having taught numerous courses to Harvard and Tufts students, Dr. Efroimsky is in a unique position to convey this complicated topic to interested readers."

George Kaplan was a staff astronomer at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., from 1971 to 2007, and now works as an independent consultant. He received his PhD degree from the University of Maryland, USA, in 1985. His professional interests focus on the fi eld of positional astronomy, both its observational and theoretical aspects. His work includes publications in astrometry, celestial reference systems, solar system ephemerides, Earth rotation, navigation algorithms, and astronomical software. Dr. Kaplan is currently the president of Commission 4 (Ephemerides) of the International Astronomical Union. The minor planet 16074 is named in his honor.