winterSolsticePlot.frink

Download or view winterSolsticePlot.frink in plain text format


// This program calculates and plots the date of the winter solstice
// over the course of a few centuries.  I made this because I'm old
// and I remember the equinoxes usually being on the 21st or the
// 22nd (probably in UTC.)  This shows how the date of the equinox drifts over
// time (and is corrected back by leap year rules.)

use sun.frink
use planets.frink
use secant.frink

longfunc = {|date| highAccuracySunApparentLongitude[date]}
// Let's calculate the longitude angle that corresponds to 1 millisecond of
// time
angleres = ms circle/solaryear

tz = "US/Mountain"
startyear = 1800
endyear = 2150

g = new graphics
g.font["Monospaced", .1 day]
p = new polyline

for y = startyear to endyear
{
   winterSolstice = secantInvert[longfunc,
                                 270 degrees,
                                 winterSolstice[y] - 1 hour,
                                 winterSolstice[y] + 1 hour,
                                 angleres]
   d = winterSolstice - parseDate["$y $tz"]
   println["$y\t" + (winterSolstice -> tz) + "\t" + format[d, "days", 2]]
   p.addPoint[y,-d]
   g.fillEllipseCenter[y, -d, 1, .01 day] 
}

g.color[0,0,0,.3]
g.add[p]

for y = startyear to endyear step 50
{
   g.color[0,0,0,.3]
   g.line[y, -353 days, y, -357 days]
   g.color[0,0,0]
   g.text["$y", y, -353 days, "center", "top"]
}

df = ### MM-dd ###
for d = 353 days to 357 days step day
{
   g.color[0,0,0,.3]
   g.line[startyear, -d, endyear, -d]
   usualDate = (parseDate["2015 $tz"] + d) -> [df, tz]
   leapDate = (parseDate["2016 $tz"] + d) -> [df, tz]
   g.color[0,0,0]
   g.text[format[d,"days",0] + "   \n(usually " + usualDate + "   \n on leap years, $leapDate)  ", startyear, -d, "right", "center"]
}

g.color[0,0,0,0]
g.line[startyear-100, -353 days, startyear-100, -357 days]

g.color[0,0,0]
g.font["SansSerif", .15 day]
g.text["Winter Solstice (days after beginning of year, $tz)", 1975, -353.1 days, "center", "bottom"]
g.show[]

stz = tz =~ %s/\//./g

g.write["wintersolstice$stz.png",2000,1000]
g.write["wintersolstice$stz.html",2000,1000]
g.write["wintersolstice$stz.svg",2000,1000]
browse["wintersolstice$stz.html"]
browse["wintersolstice$stz.svg"]
 


Download or view winterSolsticePlot.frink in plain text format


This is a program written in the programming language Frink.
For more information, view the Frink Documentation or see More Sample Frink Programs.

Alan Eliasen was born 20143 days, 10 hours, 14 minutes ago.