The Astronomical Formulas Electronic Book is an original work authored for MathSoft by Dr. Martin V. Zombeck of the Harvard/Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, MA. Dr. Zombeck studied physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he received his Ph.D. in 1969. He is a member of the American Astronomical Union and The American Astronomical Society and is the author of many scientific articles and technical papers as well as the acclaimed Handbook of Space Astronomy and Astrophysics (Cambridge University Press).

Astronomical Formulas provides comprehensive calculations for both the professional and amateur astronomer in such diverse areas as spherical astronomy, cosmology, and stars and stellar systems. Mathcad's unique mathematical and text processing capabilities combined with the hyperlinks of Electronic Books will appeal to you whether you are a professional or amateur astronomer. The amateur can obtain in-depth definitions and explanations of any quantity being calculated while the more experienced astronomer can perform a variety of useful calculations.

For example, consider the transformation from the Equatorial to the Horizon coordinate system. Simply open the Electronic Book to the Table of Contents, click to Chapter 1 (Spherical Astronomy), and select the topic from the Chapter's Table of Contents. Once the file is open, you can simply enter the Equatorial coordinates of an object, and Mathcad will automatically calculate the corresponding Horizon coordinates. However, you also have the option of flipping to a section devoted to explaining the two coordinate systems and the methodology behind the transformation, as well as browsing a listing of the 100 brightest stars from which to choose. This versatility makes Astronomical Formulas an exciting tool for astronomers of all backgrounds and experiences.

So that you can try out Astronomical Formulas and Mathcad as a computing environment Mathsoft has provided the Mathbrowser, a freely available Web browser that allows you to explore Mathcad's unique capabilities over the Internet. You will be able to open and run several of the Mathcad documents in Astronomical Formulas.

The Mathbrowser is a 32-bit Windows application based on Mathcad version 5.0. Much of the browser functionality as well as many other exciting new features are now part of Mathcad 6.0 and the current Mathcad 8.0. But if you've never used Mathcad before and want to browse the web and see what people are doing with Mathcad, downloading the Mathbrowser is one good way to start.

If you are not already using Mathbrowser, load it, then enter the following URL:

Select a chapter below.

Chapter 1 - Spherical Astronomy

Chapter 2 - Ephemerides

Chapter 3 - Astronomical Phenomena

Chapter 4 - Stars and Stellar Systems

Chapter 5 - Cosmology

Chapter 6 - Astronomical and Physical Constants

Geographical Coordinates of Major Observatories

Glossary of Astronomical Terms

Index