Limb profiles of the Moon from grazing occultation observations collected at RGO

Abstract

From lunar grazing occultation observations it is shown that the present lunar limb profile data have sometimes large errors, and therefore it is apparent that they need to be modified. For that purpose observations of grazing occultations collected at the Royal Greenwich Observatory until 1980 were analyzed and lunar limb profile data were obtained. As a result the number of the luanr limb profile data obtained from grazing occultations was almost doubled. These profile data are being used for the predictions of lunar grazing occultations in order to locate observers at better positions, so that they can also get good grazing occultation data to improve the lunar limb profiles. These profile data will be used in the future analyses of solar eclipse observations and of the possible errors of the Hipparcos proper motion system.