From the Back Cover
Filling the need for a book that presents the current technology as well as the underlying historical and physical background, this publication informs scientists, engineers, and those interested in the foundations of modern timekeeping how precise time and frequency are made available for modern-day use. The authors draw on their longstanding research experience with timekeeping and high-precision measurements to describe the discovery of the irregular motions of the Earth, the development of mechanical and atomic clocks, the introduction of dynamical timescales, and the development of the study of the Earth's orientation in space. Also discussed are astronomical and satellite observations used to improve solar system dynamics and Earth kinematics along with the applications of the theory of relativity to the topics of timekeeping and time transfer.
Indispensable for high-precision measurements and applications in astronomy, space sciences, and geodesy, and relevant for physical measurements, navigation, and communication, this monograph can be used equally as a course book or as accompanying work at advanced undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels.
About the Author
Dennis D. McCarthy worked in the Time Service and Earth Orientation Departments of the U. S. Naval Observatory (USNO) for the past 40 years, reaching the position of Director of Time at USNO. He has been involved in both the improvements in time keeping and time transfer, and the advances in the observational determination, analyses and prediction of accurate Earth orientation. Dr. McCarthy is the author of a large number of papers on time scales and Earth orientation.
P. Kenneth Seidelmann worked in the Nautical Almanac and Orbital Mechanics Departments of the U. S. Naval Observatory for 35 years, reaching the level of Director of Astrometry at USNO. He has been involved in the development of astronomical ephemerides, relativistic dynamical time scales, space missions, and the applications of improved astrometric accuracy. He is currently a Research Professor at the University of Virginia. Professor Seidelmann is editor of the 'Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Almanac', coauthor of 'Fundamentals of Astrometry', and author of a large number of papers on fundamental astronomy.
