Checking Lunars, Suggestions for changing "Certainly' box (under Time) #238
Description
Hi All,
Got up early this morning to check out some lunars with Spica and Mercury. Why? My window faces SE, I'm inside with a clear horizon and its -15F outside..... Thank you for having Mercury in the lunar box! I did two Spicas separated by 3 hours and one Mercury.
Spica was very close to the moon, the numbers are not very good--not sure why (too close probably) (I did four sights and averaged....) But Mercury came out pretty good.
But what is important is that I tested 3 numbers in the "Certainly" (the one under the tab "Time (UTC)" : 10800, 3600, and 60.
See my attached sheet.
In looking at these numbers and seeing how Stellian has programmed them, I would suggest that there is no reason to use anything but a small number as that is closer to the actual estimated time. I would suggest a maximum of 3600 (1 hour) and I would suggest not having that as an input option, but a hard 3600. In other words, removing that input box and explaining in the documentation that we are interpolating the time ± 30 minutes on either side of the inputted estimated UT. I think Bob said he used 10800 as that was the interval in the old lunar NAs, which is irrelevant to what we are doing--the smaller the interpolation interval, the more accurate the result.
Also note that I did a Δ in LD calc for all the sights, this was a simple calc using the displayed interval and LD in the "Calculation" tab.
This cals is what I suggested in my RFE comment. I would suggest removing the "Certainly" box in the input screen, and then add a "Sensitivity" calculated box, with this number. I would call it "Sensitivity" in the "Time|Lunar Results" box.
<style> </style>| Checking Lunars, Cel Nav 2.4.65.22 | Dec. 14, 2025 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IE=-5.2' | Temp=-26C | Pres= 1080mb | HOE=0 | ||||
| Est. UT | LD | UT @certainty 10800 | Time error | Δ in LD (Certainty 10800) arc'/hr | UT @certainty 3600 | Time error | |
| Moon Mercury | 12:38:00 | 40° 17.3' | 12:37:08 | 0:00:52 | 26.2 | 12:37:05 | 0:00:55 |
| Moon Spica | 12:19:00 | 1° 56.7' | 12:17:12 | 0:01:48 | 24.1 | 12:11:32 | 0:07:28 |
| Moon Spica | 9:48:45 | 2° 29.4' | 9:15:06 | 0:33:39 | 27.6 | 9:13:43 | 0:35:02 |