|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Martian calendar in its present form is not tied to any particular historical event yet, so it lacks an epoch. A separate conversion series will therefore be required to convert Martian MD# to an equivalent Terran JD#. This conversion may prove to be rather complex if relativity theory is taken into consideration. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Finally, note that yars are properly styled anno Martis, with the abbreviation A.M. An official and complete Martian date would resemble: anno Martis 3617 Thuvia 48. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9.13.2.2
Historical Background |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You have finally reached a calendar for which there is no historical background, even of a proleptic nature. The only existing history for this calendar is some basic planetary astronomy, the story of the construction of the calendar itself, and some notes regarding the topic of Martian calendars in general. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The topic of a calendar for Mars has already received attention. Various science fiction sources have referred to timekeeping on Mars, usually in an off-hand and technically incorrect way. The E.R. Burroughs Barsoom novels, for example, relate Terran and Martian units in completely unfeasible ways. Planetary scientists have produced a calendar system for Mars which is, unfortunately, rather too abstract for practical daily use by inhabitants. The system is something like a traditional Hindu Indian nakshatra-based astrological calendar. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In essence, astronomers establish a line between Mars and the Sun at the time of the northern Martian spring equinox. This line represents a point of zero degrees, which is somewhat analogous to the first point of Aries in traditional Indian astrological calendars. The entire year is then divided among 360 degrees, again somewhat analogous to the Chinese heavenly road concept of division of the ecliptic. With this division system, the range from 0 to 90 degrees corresponds to northern Martian spring, 90 to 180 degrees to northern summer, and so on. Calendar time is thus reckoned in terms of degrees of angular departure from the imaginary zero degree line. Perihelion occurs at 250 degrees, for example. Astrologers will immediately recognize the convention, even if no one else does or cares to. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This calendar has made its way into at least one science fiction novel, Robinson's Red Mars (pp. 120121). Robinson structures the calendar as 669 local days per year, arranged as 21 months of 28 days and 3 months of 27 days (2128 + 327 = 669). This Martian year length, of course, is too long. The story's clock is also inaccurate in its own way. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The calendar presented here does not employ this system. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9.13.3. 9.12.5
Code on CD-ROM |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See the SCDTL text on the CD for the discussion of the code. |
|
|
|
|
|