Dr Nicholas Kollerstrom's
Newton and the Moon
Web site 

This page offers historical material relating to theories of the Moon's motion, especially those of Newton and those surrounding him.

• Welcome and Guide to WebSite
• Quest for a Lunar Theory
• To find the Longitude

Isaac Newton's 1702 Lunar Theory
    A Forgotten Solution to the Longitude Problem

• Introduction
• View the original source:
• view the 1715 print of Newton's 1702 theory
• download it (ZIP package of pages in jpg format, 730k)
• Try a replica of Newton's Lunar Theory
• Download TMM Replica 2.0 directly

         (ZIP package in xls -- Microsoft Excel -- format, 13k)
• Check the replica against modern estimates

         download a recent program for comparison (ZIP in exe format, 30k)
• View worked example by Dunthorne, based on Newton's 1702 theory
• How Newton's Theory Worked
• The sequence of Newton's equations
• Who used it?
• Why seven steps?
• Its Equation of Centre
• Return of the epicycles
• Comparison with modern equations
• The Forgetting of Newton's "Theory of the Moon's Motion"
• From Horrocks to Halley: recomputing their work 

Newton, the Moon and his Gravity Theory

• Newton's Lunar Mass Error
• The Paradox of 1713
• Newton's gravity theory: the tenuous link
• The Moon Test of 1684

John Flamsteed's Lunar Theory

• Introduction
• Replica of Flamsteed's Lunar Theory
• Download it directly (ZIP package in xls -- Excel -- format, 13k)
• Sequence of his theory plus a worked example

Edmond Halley's Contribution

• Introduction
• Halley and the Saros cycle
• The Hollow World of Edmond Halley

In the Beginning: Jeremiah Horrocks

• Horrocks and the Dawn of British Astronomy

Additional Materials

• Links to sites in the history of astronomy
• Bibliography on Theories of Lunar Motion
• Send me comments via e-mail

The book "Newton's forgotten lunar theory, his contribution to the quest for longitude" (2000) by the author is published by Green Lion Press.

This site is a collaborative project between Dr Nicholas Kollerstrom and Dr Joe Cain in STS, UCL. Kollerstrom's research is supported by a post-doctoral research scholarship from the Leverhulme Foundation.

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