NavList:

This last point made me wonder about the detailed history of almanacs.  In particular, when and how individual nations constructed theirs, how independent (even secret) of one another they have been, and, conversely, how much cross-fertilization and collaborations history has seen on this subject.  We know that for a few decades now the American and British almanac has been a single collaborative publication.  What is the source and status of modern Spanish, Dutch, Chinese, etc. almanacs?   I remember someone mentioning that the "Paris predictions" (same as VSOP82, 87?) were constructed as analytic fits to the results of numerical integration of equations of motion done at the JPL for the solar system.  Is this correct?  As always, pointers to good references are much appreciated.


Peter Hakel