- Equinox (celestial coordinates)
In
astronomy , equinox is a moment in time at which the vernal point,celestial equator , and other such elements are taken to be used in the definition of acelestial coordinate system . The position at other equinoxes can be computed by taking into accountprecession ,nutation andaberration , which directly affect e.g.right ascension anddeclination .Overview
In the case of orbital elements, only a few of the classical orbital elements are affected by a switch of equinox: the longitude of the ascending node, and (to a much lesser extent) the inclination. If another set of orbital elements are used, such as the position and velocity vectors for a particular epoch, all components can be affected by a switch of equinox.
Equinox is often confused with epoch with the difference between the two being that the equinox addresses changes in the coordinate system, while the epoch addresses changes in the position of the celestial body itself. The currently used standard equinox (and epoch) is J2000.0, which is
January 1 ,2000 at 12:00 TT. The prefix "J" indicates that it is a Julian epoch. The previous standard equinox (and epoch) was B1950.0, with the prefix "B" indicating it was a Besselian epoch. Before 1984 Besselian equinoxes/epochs were used. Since that time Julian equinoxes/epochs have been used.Other equinoxes/epochs that have been used include:
* TheHenry Draper Catalog uses B1900.0
*Constellation boundaries were defined in 1930 along lines ofright ascension anddeclination for the B1875.0 epoch.
* Occasionally, non-standard equinoxes have been used, such as B1925.0 and B1970.0Epochs and equinoxes for orbital elements are usually given in
Terrestrial Time , in several different formats, including:
* Gregorian date with 24-hour time: 2000 Jan. 1, 12:00 TT
* Gregorian date with fractional day: 2000 Jan. 1.5 TT
*Julian Day with fractional day: JDT 2451545.0
*NASA /NORAD's Two-Line Elements format with fractional day: 00001.50000000Besselian equinoxes/epochs
A Besselian epoch, named after the German mathematician and astronomer
Friedrich Bessel (1784 – 1846), is an epoch that is based on a "Besselian year" of 365.242198781 days, which is atropical year measured at the point where theSun 's longitude is exactly 280°. Since 1984, Besselian equinoxes/epochs have been superseded by Julian equinoxes/epochs. The current standard equinox/epoch is J2000.0, which is a Julian equinox/epoch.Besselian equinoxes/epochs are calculated according to:
:B =
1900.0 + (Julian date − 2415020.31352) / 365.242198781The previous standard equinox/epoch was B1950.0, a Besselian equinox/epoch.
Since the
right ascension anddeclination of stars are constantly changing due toprecession , astronomers always specify these with reference to a particular equinox. Historically used Besselian equinoxes include B1875.0, B1900.0, B1925.0 and B1950.0. The official constellation boundaries were defined in1930 using B1875.0.Julian equinoxes/epochs
A Julian equinox/epoch is an equinox/epoch that is based on Julian years of exactly 365.25 days. Since
1984 , Julian epochs are used in preference to the earlier Besselian epochs.Julian equinoxes/epochs are calculated according to:
:J = 2000.0 + (
Julian date − 2451545.0)/365.25The standard equinox/epoch currently in use is J2000.0, which corresponds to
January 1 ,2000 12:00Terrestrial Time .J2000.0
The J2000.0 equinox/epoch is precisely
Julian date 2451545.0 TT (Terrestrial Time ), orJanuary 1 2000 , noon TT. This is equivalent toJanuary 1 2000 , 11:59:27.816 TAI orJanuary 1 2000 , 11:58:55.816UTC .Since the
right ascension anddeclination of stars are constantly changing due toprecession , (and, for relatively nearby stars due toproper motion ), astronomers always specify these with reference to a particular epoch. The earlier epoch that was in standard use was the B1950.0 epoch.When the "mean"
equator and equinox of J2000 are used to define a celestial reference frame, that frame may also be denoted J2000 coordinates or simply J2000. Technically, this is different from, but similar to, theInternational Celestial Reference System (ICRS): the mean equator and equinox at J2000.0 are distinct from and of lower precision than ICRS, but agree with ICRS to the limited precision of the former. Use of the "mean" locations means thatnutation is averaged out or omitted. Novices are sometimes confused by finding that the Earth's rotational North pole does not point quite at the J2000 celestial pole at the epoch J2000.0; the reason is that the true pole of epoch nutates away from the mean one. The same differences pertain to the equinox.The "J" in the prefix indicates that it is a Julian equinox/epoch rather than a Besselian equinox/epoch.
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