Abstract
For the whole of the pre-telescopic period, eclipse observations have proved to be by far the best data with which to determine changes in the Earth’s rate of rotation. These changes – on the scale of milliseconds – are produced by both the tides and a variety of non-tidal mechanisms. Each individual observation leads to a result for ΔT (the cumulative effect of changes in the Earth’s spin rate). Over a period of many centuries, this parameter can attain several hours and thus can be determined using fairly crude observations.
Recently I have extended previous investigations by introducing hitherto unused observations and reinterpreting some of the more reliable existing data: especially in the periods from 700 BC to 50 BC and from AD 300 to 800. This has led to the derivation of revised ΔT values over much of the historical period.
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The author gratefully acknowledges the valuable opportunities provided by the award of a Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship.
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Stephenson, F.R. (2011). Historical Eclipses and Earth’s Rotation: 700 BC–AD 1600. In: Orchiston, W., Nakamura, T., Strom, R. (eds) Highlighting the History of Astronomy in the Asia-Pacific Region. Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8161-5_1
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