Ederlinda Viñuales Gavín
Grupo de Mecánica Espacial. Universidad de Zaragoza
Abstract
In this workshop we’ll tray to calculate the Moon’s orbital elements.
For carrying out calculations needed for the whole process, it’s necessary to take observations over a few months that enable values of the Moon’s orbital elements to be deduced. Sky’ observations may be carefully schemed but when a long time
is required for our observations weather says ’last word’. If to the weather problem we add to work with students, it’s probable that we need a few years for finishing the proposed practice. So, with the end of realising our work in a prudential time,
we’ll use two different didactic ways.
On the one hand, we would like to work in the traditional way based in observations for calculating orbital parameters with data obtained for this method.
Due to difficulties exposed in the first paragraph, we use a computer’ program for obtaining data faster than by observation. All calculations that we have to do for determining parameters can be carried out in the same way.
The computer’ program used is the AstroMath. It’s a Mathematica 3.0 program that can be used both Macintosh and PC computer.