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// Routines to calculate Sidereal Time at Greenwich
// Algorithms based on Chapter 12 of Jean Meeus' _Astronomical Algorithms_
// and verified against samples in the book.
// GreenwichMeanSiderealAngle takes one argument (a date)
// and returns an angle indicating the Greenwich hour angle of the mean vernal
// point (the intersection of the ecliptic of the date with the mean equator
// of the date) in the default angular units (most likely radians)
// This function works at any time of the day.
GreenwichMeanSiderealAngle[date] :=
{
//println[" Date is: $date"]
//println["Julian Date is: " + (date->JD)]
// These 2 lines are eq. 12.1
jdp = JD[date] - 2451545.0 days // Epoch J2000.0 = JDE 2451545.0
T = jdp / juliancentury // Dimensionless
//println["T = $T"]
// Eq. (12.4)
return degree (280.46061837 + 360.98564736629 jdp/day + 0.000387933 T^2 - T^3/38710000)
}
// GreenwichMeanSiderealTime returns the mean sidereal time at Greenwich
// specified as a unit with dimensions of time.
GreenwichMeanSiderealTime[date] :=
{
GreenwichMeanSiderealAngle[date] mod (360 degrees) / (360 degrees / (24 hours))
}
HMS[x] := x -> [0, "days", "hours", "minutes", "seconds"]
println[GreenwichMeanSiderealTime[##] -> HMS]
// Example 12.a -- Should return 13h 10m 46.3668 s
result = GreenwichMeanSiderealTime[#1987-04-10 00:00 UTC#]
println[ result -> HMS]
expected = 13 hours + 10 minutes + 46.3668 sec
println["Discrepancy between Meeus is: " + (abs[result - expected] -> HMS)]
// Example 12.b -- Should return 8h 34m 57.0896 s
result = GreenwichMeanSiderealTime[#1987-04-10 19:21:00 UTC#]
println[ result -> HMS]
expected = 8 hours + 34 minutes + 57.0896 sec
println["Discrepancy between Meeus is: " + (abs[result - expected] -> HMS)]
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Alan Eliasen was born 19967 days, 9 hours, 12 minutes ago.