Precession-Jumping from 1875 to 1950

  • Thread starter Thread starter solarblast
  • Start date Start date
AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on a 1967 book that relies on a star catalog from 1875 and requires precession data for 1955. The author’s program uses a function call to precco(0.75) to adjust precession coefficients, applying the precession routine to update two vectors accordingly. However, there is uncertainty about whether the code effectively updates precession to 1955, with a suggestion that using 1950 might be an acceptable approximation. The conversation raises questions about the validity of this method for achieving accurate precession calculations. Overall, the approach appears to be a practical yet potentially imprecise solution for the time period in question.
solarblast
Messages
146
Reaction score
2
Precession--Jumping from 1875 to 1950

I'm looking at a book that was written in 1967. The only star catalog available for the author's purposes was from 1875. He needed to have the precession for 1955 data. In his program code, he makes a call to precco(0.75) to update the coefficients of the precession routine, preces. preces is called twice right after that to two vectors. Each vector is replaced by a new vector with precession applied.

I'm fairly sure that this is to jump 75 years (expressed as 0.75) and somehow move from 1875 to 1950. I do not see any code that gets the precession updated to 1955. Close enough at 1950, I guess?? Comments? Does this seem like a valid way to get to 1950?
 
Astronomy news on Phys.org


Sounds like you could use a caculator.



Precession Routine

This routine will precess astronomical coordinates from one epoch to another.
http://fuse.pha.jhu.edu/support/tools/precess.html


Precess: Coordinate Conversion and Precession Tool
http://asc.harvard.edu/toolkit/precess.jsp
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Publication: Redox-driven mineral and organic associations in Jezero Crater, Mars Article: NASA Says Mars Rover Discovered Potential Biosignature Last Year Press conference The ~100 authors don't find a good way this could have formed without life, but also can't rule it out. Now that they have shared their findings with the larger community someone else might find an explanation - or maybe it was actually made by life.
Today at about 4:30 am I saw the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, where they were about the width of the full moon, or one half degree apart. Did anyone else see it? Edit: The moon is 2,200 miles in diameter and at a distance of 240,000 miles. Thereby it subtends an angle in radians of 2,200/240,000=.01 (approximately). With pi radians being 180 degrees, one radian is 57.3 degrees, so that .01 radians is about .50 degrees (angle subtended by the moon). (.57 to be more exact, but with...
TL;DR Summary: In 3 years, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope (or rather, a system of telescopes) should be put into operation. In case of failure to detect alien signals, it will further expand the radius of the so-called silence (or rather, radio silence) of the Universe. Is there any sense in this or is blissful ignorance better? In 3 years, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope (or rather, a system of telescopes) should be put into operation. In case of failure to detect...

Similar threads

Replies
3
Views
3K
Replies
35
Views
28K
Replies
4
Views
3K
Replies
1
Views
3K
Replies
1
Views
3K
Replies
1
Views
3K
Replies
13
Views
3K
Back
Top