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Accurate analytic representations of solar time and seasons on Mars with applications to the Pathfinder/Surveyor missions
Author(s) -
Allison Michael
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/97gl01950
Subject(s) - mars exploration program , pathfinder , longitude , exploration of mars , geodesy , orbit (dynamics) , solar system , meteorology , physics , astrobiology , environmental science , aerospace engineering , geology , remote sensing , computer science , engineering , latitude , library science
Efficient analytic recipes are presented for a moderately accurate, closed‐form calculation of the areocentric longitude (Ls), analemmic “equation of time,” and solar hour angles on Mars, along with an approximate recovery of the Viking “Local Lander Time.” The adopted fit to the fictitious mean sun implies a Mars tropical orbit period of 686.9725 d .