CLAIRAUT, Théorie de la Lune, 1765

Second edition.
This second edition brings together the Theory of the Moon and the Tables of the Moon published by Clairaut in 1752 and 1754 which are the first approximate resolution of the three-body problem. Between 1747 and 1754, three of the greatest mathematicians of their time, Euler, D'Alembert and Clairaut, opposed each other on a common project: to develop new mathematical methods in order to resolve the complex problems posed by the movement of the Moon, subject to both to the gravitational pull of the Earth and the Sun. The issue was both scientific and economic since the establishment of precise astronomical tables was necessary for the reliability of navigation at sea.