Position and angle of Earth/Moon/Sun and timing

  • Context: Undergrad 
  • Thread starter Thread starter TouTorp
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    Angle Position
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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the angles of the Earth, Moon, and Sun relative to the vernal equinox for a microcontroller project. The user seeks to determine the right ascension (RA) and declination (DEC) of celestial bodies at specific times, such as September 18th, 2013, at 20:00 GMT. The recommended approach is to start in the Heliocentric frame and convert to the Geocentric Equatorial frame. The NASA JPL Ephemeris is identified as a crucial resource for obtaining necessary positional data.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Heliocentric and Geocentric coordinate systems
  • Familiarity with celestial mechanics and astronomical calculations
  • Basic programming skills for microcontroller development
  • Knowledge of using NASA JPL Ephemeris for celestial data
NEXT STEPS
  • Research how to implement Heliocentric to Geocentric coordinate transformations
  • Learn to use the NASA JPL Ephemeris API for celestial body positions
  • Explore algorithms for calculating RA and DEC for celestial objects
  • Investigate microcontroller programming techniques for astronomical applications
USEFUL FOR

Astronomy enthusiasts, software developers working on astronomical applications, and engineers developing microcontroller-based projects related to celestial positioning.

TouTorp
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Hello all, I made an account here some time ago but hadn't got around to using it.

I'd quite like to build a program for getting the angle of the Earth compared to vernal equniox (so I can convert from ECI to ECEF co-ordinates), angle of the moon relative to the earth, and angle of the sun relative to the earth.

There may be existing programs capable of doing so, but I'm intending to put this on a microcontroller, so are really going to be limited to doing this from scratch.

I think I'm going to be fine with the angle conversions and getting into different frames, but the issue is I don't know how to find out what the relative angles of these frames will be at different times. Say I want to know on September 18th 2013 at 20:00 GMT what the RA and DEC of the sun and moon will be, and I want to know what the angle of the Earth will be compared to the celestial sphere, so I can get to what position they will be in the local sky at a given longitude and latitude.

Problem is, there are so many resources out there I really don't know where to start, been searching the past few days and still drawing a blank with what I need to be doing.

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Torpedo
 
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It is easiest to start in the Heliocentric frame then convert to the Geocentric Equatorial.

Nasa JPL has an Ephemeris that is helpful.

http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?planet_pos
 

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