<p>There's also Smart's <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/highereducation/books/textbook-on-spherical-astronomy/6A79F95BBB87739AF731B8F3D68EECE8#overview" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Textbook on Spherical Astronomy</a></p>
<p>you can preview it here: <a href="http://aprsa.villanova.edu/files/Smart-SphericalAstronomy.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://aprsa.villanova.edu/files/Smart-SphericalAstronomy.pdf</a></p>
<p>I am not sure if it suits your purpose, it really is a textbook and is pretty slow and thorough. But if something is bugging you and other sources are inadequate, this might you clear up some of the finer points.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-16T04:35:48.987Z
Thanks a lot this book is exactly what I was looking for
L lawliet
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-15T23:36:52.783Z
2021-06-15T23:36:52.783Z
uhoh
<p>If you just need some astronomy related spherical stuff, I can recommend the same book I started with: <a href="http://observatory.znu.ac.ir/files/uploaded/editor_files/observatory/files/Fundamental%2BAstronomy%2B5th%2BEdition.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Fundamental Astronomy</a>. It includes exercises as well and is designed for your purpose.</p>
<p>Spherical astronomy is from page 11 to 46. At the beginning, it starts with some basic spherical trigonometry theorems and then with additional astronomy related concepts (like declination, hour angle, transformation between coordinate systems ...). I find the mathematical part (11–14) very short and concise, for example:</p>
<ol>
<li>The part about the area of spherical triangle is very concise, so I needed to find the proof with longer explanation on the internet.</li>
<li>The part about the law of cosines for spherical triangles is very concise as well, and one can't easily imagine that. I just went on Wikipedia page and found a proof with vectors which I find easy.</li>
</ol>
<p>But of course you don't need to know how to derive, for example, law of cosines for spherical triangles. It just helps you with the intuition, so the concise mathematical part is not so important with all its derivations. You just need to know area, surface angle, basic properties of sphere and its triangles, law of cosines and sines, special Pythagorean theorem, the area of lune, and so on.</p>
<p>The next part is longer (14–41) and is directly related with astronomy. I found it much easier because it is more intuitive.</p>
<p>At last, the exercises (41–46). You have to also know that the exercises are included at the end of each subchapter, too.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-15T17:15:05.040Z
2021-06-15T17:15:05.040Z
User123
<p>There’s the classic (1966) <em>Spherical Astronomy</em> (<a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Spherical-Astronomy-Edgar-Woolard-ebook/dp/B01D3RJ44E" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Amazon</a>).</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-16T01:51:30.240Z
2021-06-16T01:51:30.240Z
Pierre Paquette
<p>I am preparing for an astronomy olympiad and a good amount of questions in the olympiad come from Spherical astronomy, some of the books ive tried reading were too hard to understand as this topic requires a good amount of visual representation. Does anyone have any good courses or books on this topic for beginners which like deals with spherical trignometry then goes on to the celestial sphere, I would be greatly appreciate it if anyone can help me.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-15T15:29:22.897Z
To what extend do you want to learn? Just for example law of cosines, sines, solid angles, surface area and transformations? (These are the only topics related to astronomy in spherical trigonometry as far as I can tell.)
User123
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-06-15T17:04:09.733Z
I want to learn all the above topics you mentioned and I want to learn about right ascention declination zenith hour angle , circumpolar stars etc
L lawliet
<positional-astronomy>
Best Books on Spherical Astronomy
L lawliet
# Best Books on Spherical Astronomy

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-06-15)

I am preparing for an astronomy olympiad and a good amount of questions in the olympiad come from Spherical astronomy, some of the books ive tried reading were too hard to understand as this topic requires a good amount of visual representation. Does anyone have any good courses or books on this topic for beginners which like deals with spherical trignometry then goes on to the celestial sphere, I would be greatly appreciate it if anyone can help me.

**Tags:** positional-astronomy

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: To what extend do you want to learn? Just for example law of cosines, sines, solid angles, surface area and transformations? (These are the only topics related to astronomy in spherical trigonometry as far as I can tell.)  
> **username_0**: I want to learn all the above topics you mentioned and I want to learn about right ascention declination zenith hour angle , circumpolar stars etc  

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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2021-06-15. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

There's also Smart's [Textbook on Spherical Astronomy](https://www.cambridge.org/highereducation/books/textbook-on-spherical-astronomy/6A79F95BBB87739AF731B8F3D68EECE8#overview)

you can preview it here: <http://aprsa.villanova.edu/files/Smart-SphericalAstronomy.pdf>

I am not sure if it suits your purpose, it really is a textbook and is pretty slow and thorough. But if something is bugging you and other sources are inadequate, this might you clear up some of the finer points.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks a lot this book is exactly what I was looking for  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2021-06-15. Score: 2

If you just need some astronomy related spherical stuff, I can recommend the same book I started with: [Fundamental Astronomy](http://observatory.znu.ac.ir/files/uploaded/editor_files/observatory/files/Fundamental%2BAstronomy%2B5th%2BEdition.pdf). It includes exercises as well and is designed for your purpose.

Spherical astronomy is from page 11 to 46. At the beginning, it starts with some basic spherical trigonometry theorems and then with additional astronomy related concepts (like declination, hour angle, transformation between coordinate systems ...). I find the mathematical part (11–14) very short and concise, for example:

1. The part about the area of spherical triangle is very concise, so I needed to find the proof with longer explanation on the internet.
2. The part about the law of cosines for spherical triangles is very concise as well, and one can't easily imagine that. I just went on Wikipedia page and found a proof with vectors which I find easy.

But of course you don't need to know how to derive, for example, law of cosines for spherical triangles. It just helps you with the intuition, so the concise mathematical part is not so important with all its derivations. You just need to know area, surface angle, basic properties of sphere and its triangles, law of cosines and sines, special Pythagorean theorem, the area of lune, and so on.

The next part is longer (14–41) and is directly related with astronomy. I found it much easier because it is more intuitive.

At last, the exercises (41–46). You have to also know that the exercises are included at the end of each subchapter, too.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2021-06-16. Score: 1

There’s the classic (1966) *Spherical Astronomy* ([Amazon](https://www.amazon.ca/Spherical-Astronomy-Edgar-Woolard-ebook/dp/B01D3RJ44E)).


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