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The Sun Recorded Through History pp 217–278Cite as

The Solar Diameter and the Astronomical Unit

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Part of the book series: Astrophysics and Space Science Library ((ASSL,volume 361))

Abstract

Since the beginnings of Astronomy, the measurement of the sizes of the different bodies in the Solar System and the distances between them has been a primary challenge. The determination of the Earth – Sun distance was the first step for many of the subsequent works: not in vain is this parameter called the “astronomical unit”. Here we will describe two topics related to this essential parameter: First, the determination of the solar radius, and second, the description of planetary transits across the solar disk. As in the rest of the book, we will concentrate our study on historical documents and visual observations.

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  1. Universidad Extremadura, Departamento de Física Aplicada, Avenida de la Universidad, s/n, 10071, Cáceres, Spain

    José M. Vaquero

  2. Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, c/ Vía Láctea s/n, 38200, La Laguna, Spain

    M. Vázquez

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Vaquero, J., Vázquez, M. (2009). The Solar Diameter and the Astronomical Unit. In: The Sun Recorded Through History. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 361. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-92790-9_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-92790-9_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

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  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-92790-9

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