siderealtime.frink

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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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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 19944 days, 22 hours, 31 minutes ago.