According to the resolutions of XXIV-XXVI General Assemblies of International Astronomical Union (2000-2006) the computing of ephemerides is based on the modern theory of celestial bodies motion what provides an accuracy sufficient for analytical researches and practical applications.

The DE405/LE405 numerical theory of movement of the Sun, the Moon, and major planets is used in хNautical Astronomical Yearbookж, in which coordinates and speeds of objects are gave as the polynoms by Tchebyshev. In NAY the positions of stars are published in the system of stellar catalogues FK6 and HIPPARCOS.

NAY is published with modifications advised by the meeting of the represents of HDNO MDRF, SN&HRI MDRF, M.V.Frunze HNA, S.O.Makarov SMA, NASOC and IAA RAS (1999) in St.-Petersburg and confirmed by the resolution of the Russian astronomical conference (RAC-2001) in St.-Petersburg.

The ephemerides (visual geocentrical equatorial coordinates) of brightest navigational stars – the Sun, the Moon, four major planets (Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) and of the 160 stars are published in NAY. The basis of the NAY is the daily tables of the Sun, the Moon, four major planets, and 69 brightest navigational stars, and the time of the rising and setting of the Sun and the Moon, the time of the beginning and the end of civil and navigational twilights, the azimuths of the upper limb of the Sun on rising and setting. These ephemerides and the tables of Polaris, the interpolational tables, the modified tables of altitudes and azimuths of stars TAA-52, and a number of auxiliary tables allow to solve any navigatoval task by methods of classical naval astronomy without additional manuals.

The responsible for the calculation of ephemeris data for NAY on 2008 are the following researchers of Laboratory of astronomical yearbooks IAA RAS:

• hour angles of the first point of Aries, coordinates of the Sun, Moon, and planets, the moments of culminations, parallaxes, visible semi-diameters and phases of the Moon, configurations of planets, the beginnings of seasons – N.I.Glebova;
• conditions of visibility of the planets, apparent places of stars, tables of azimuths of Polaris – M.L.Sveshnikov;
• the time of rising and setting of the Sun and the Moon, azimuths of the upper limb of the Sun for the time of sunrise and setting, the time of the beginning and end of civil and navigational tvilights, eclipses of the Sun and the Moon – M.V.Lukashova.

The explanation for NAY 2008 is revized by V.N.Kostin, M.V.Lukashova, M.L.Sveshnikov. Presentation of charts of the sky of stars in PS-format for the stars in the system of the Fundamental Catalog FK6 and stellar catalog HIPPARCOS on epoch J2010.0 is made by M.L.Sveshnikov.

Examples for NAY 2008 are calculated by M.V.Lukashova, M.L.Sveshnikov.

M.V.Lukashova and M.L.Sveshnikov have made the original of the Explanation with T_EX-system. Editing version of the tables has been made by G.A.Netsvetaeva using “Systems of Making-up of Tabulated Editions SVITA”.

The proof-reading of a data is made by I.A.Lebedeva, N.K.Omel'yanchuk.