The basis of the “Nautical Astronomical Yearbook” (NAY) is the daily visual geocentrical equatorial ephemerides of brightest navigational stars – the Sun, the Moon, four major planets (Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn) and of the 69 brightest 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 monthly ephemerides of the 160 stars and the tables of Polaris, the interpolational tables, the modified table of altitudes and azimuths of stars TAA-57, and a number of auxiliary tables allow to solve main navigatoval tasks by methods of classical naval astronomy without additional manuals.

According to the resolutions of XXIV-XXVI General Assemblies of International Astronomical Union (2000-2006) and the All-Russia conference «Fundamental both applied coordinate-time and navigation support» (CTNS-2007) the computing of ephemerides is based on the modern theories of celestial bodies motion what provides an accuracy sufficient for analytical researches and practical applications.

The EPM2004 domestic numerical theory of movement of the Sun, the Moon, and major planets is used in NAY. 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, St.-Petersburg).

The responsible for the calculation of ephemeris data of NAY for 2012 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, star charts, tables 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 2012 is revized by V.N.Kostin, M.V.Lukashova, M.L.Sveshnikov.

Examples for NAY 2012 are calculated by G.A.Kosmodamiansky, M.V.Lukashova, M.L.Sveshnikov.

M.V.Lukashova have made the original of the Explanation. Editing version of the tables has been made by G.A.Netsvetaeva using the Systems of Making-up of Tabulated Editions SVITA.

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