In the "Astronomical Yearbook" (AY) the ephemerides of the Sun, Moon, major planets and stars computed with the maximum precision in accordance with the resolutions approved by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) are published. The information is also given on various astronomical phenomena - lunar and solar eclipses, planetary configurations, rises and sets of the Sun and Moon, etc. The explanation, contained the examples, illustrates the possibility of the calculation of various ephemerides to any particular time and for the any observation place.

"The Astronomical Yearbook for 2004" is issued with the essential alterations which are concerned the ephemeris basis of the Sun, Moon, the major planets, and the using catalog of the stars.

Since 2004 the basis of the calculation of the ephemerides of the Sun, Moon and major planets is the theory DE405/LE405 developed at the JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., USA) which represent the motion of these bodies with sufficient accuracy for the theoretical researches and the practical applications.

Also the fundamental catalog FK6 is used when calculing the stars ephemerides. The ephemerides of the stars which have not  in this catalog bases on the catalog HIPPARCOS.

Since issue for 1997 all ephemeris data is calculated with the aid of "AE" - "Astronomical Yearbook" software package created in the laboratory of astronomical yearbooks and altered the corresponding  manner.

In "The Astronomical Yearbook for 2004" the calculation of the ephemeris data was carried out by following collaborators of the laboratory of astronomical yearbooks:

• the sidereal time, the ephemerides of the geocentric coordinates of the Sun and Moon, the geocentric and heliocentric coordinates of the major planets, osculating elements of the planet orbits, the ephemerides of the position and velocity of the Earth in the barycentric frame, the elements of the precession matrix and of the nutation matrix, the terms by reductions at 0^h terrestrial dynamical time - N.I. Glebova;
• the ephemerides of the Moon (coefficients of the Tchebyshov polynomials), of the lunar crater Mösting A, the ephemeris for physical observations of the Moon, the fundamental arguments of the lunar physical libration, the phases of the Moon, perigee and apogee - N.I. Glebova;
• the seasons and precession values, the planetary configurations - N.I. Glebova;
• the data for the eclipses of the Sun and Moon - M.V. Lukashova, L.I. Rumyantseva;
• the ephemerides for physical observations of the Sun, planets and Saturn's rings - M.L. Sveshnikov;
• the times of rise and set of the Sun and Moon - M.V. Lukashova;
• mean places of stars at J2000.0, the table of the corrections for  the orbital motion of stars - M.L. Sveshnikov;
• the terms of reductions for 0^h of sidereal dynamical time, the second order terms of reductions, the mean places of stars, the apparent places of the tenday and circumpolar stars - N.I. Glebova;
• the table for altitudes and azimuths of Polaris and the tables for latitude determinations from observations of Polaris - M.L. Sveshnikov, L.I. Rumyantseva.

The data control of the different part of the Yearbook was carried out by N.I. Glebova, L.I. Rumyantseva, N.K. Omelyanchuk, and I.A. Lebedeva.

The explanation for the Yearbook was subjected to some edition fulfilled by N.I. Glebova, M.V. Lukashova, L.I. Rumyantseva, M.L. Sveshnikov.

The examples in the Explanation were carried out by N.I. Glebova, M.V. Lukashova, and M.L. Sveshnikov.

The Explanation in the T_EX was carried out by M.V. Lukashova and N.K. Omelyanchuk. Since 1995 the publication of the "Astronomical Yearbook" was became possible with the aid of the "System of the table edition issue SVITA" worked out by the collaborations of the astronomical software development technology laboratory. The preparation of the edition of "The Astronomical Yearbook for 2004" was carry out with the participation of G.A. Necvetaeva, E.Yu. Parijskaya, D.A. Ryzhkova.

The original-maket of the Yearbook was prepared in IAA RAS.

Some ephemerides published in Yearbook were inserted in Internet:

• The seasons values, the phases of the Moon, the planetary configurations, the data for the eclipses of the Sun and Moon, the transit of Venus are placed on a site http://quasar.ipa.nw.ru/PAGE/ENG/engnews.htm

• The list of the observatories coordinates as appendix to Yearbook (M.V. Lukashova, M.L. Sveshnikov) are placed on a site http://quasar.ipa.nw.ru/PAGE/EDITION/ENG/AE/appendix.htm

WEB-master - N.I. Alehina.

The work related to the editon of the Yearbook was carried out by the head of the astronomical yearbooks laboratory M.L. Sveshnikov with the closest participation of all laboratory crew.

Appendix: Coordinates of observatories