|
|
The Question
(Submitted October 27, 1997)
I'm trying to find information on how to calculate the
positions of planets from any point on Earth at any time on
earth.
I know that software exists to do just this. However, I
would like to write my own and compare it to the others.
The Answer
Calculating the motions of the planets is a simple exercise in
integrating the equations of motion. In principle, this can be done
with reference only to an introductory physics text if you don't
already know how to write down the equations. In reality, there are
already lots of books and programs which can solve this problem, or
tell you how. A good place to start is:
http://www.salamander.com/~wmcclain/astro_calc_old.html (http://www.salamander.com/%7Ewmcclain/astro_calc_old.html)
I hope this helps!
Tim Kallman
for Ask a High-Energy Astronomer
Questions on this topic are no longer responded to by the "Ask a
High-Energy Astronomer" service. See http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/ask_an_astronomer.html
for help on other astronomy Q&A services.
|
