Epoch

[Midnight_lightning]

I notice in various settings that Epoch is mentioned. e.g. in EQMOD I have Epoch Unknown, but in Plate Solving it uses J2000.

Can anyone shed some light on "Epoch" and when to use what - e.g I'm wondering if I need to standardise on, say, J2000, in which case should I select this in EQMOD?

 

Thanks

Jon

 

[cuivenion]

Just make sure that EQMOD, and any software connected to it (plate solver, planetarium, imaging software etc) use the same epoch and you'll be fine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epoch_(astronomy)

You may find that some software uses whatever eqmod is using, or that there isn't an option for it. Thats fine, if you have the option just make sure you choose the same epoch.

Epoch is a reference point in time used so that measurements that change over time can be calculated correctly. Thats my understanding anyway. So its a good idea for your software to all use the same reference point.

Edited November 27, 2019 by cuivenion