Calculate ΔT (TT - UT) in seconds for a given date
This function uses polynomial approximations that vary by era.
The coefficients are empirically derived from historical observations
and extrapolated for future dates.
Accuracy:
Before 1600: ~100-1000 seconds uncertainty
1600-1800: ~10-100 seconds
1800-1900: ~1-10 seconds
1900-2000: ~0.1-1 second (measured values)
2000-2050: ~1-10 seconds (predicted)
After 2050: Increasingly uncertain (extrapolated)
Parameters
year: number
Full year (e.g., 2025, -100 for 101 BCE)
month: number
Month (1-12, used for interpolation)
Returns number
ΔT in seconds
Example
// Modern era (well-measured) constdt2020 = deltaT(2020, 1); // ~69 seconds
Calculate ΔT (TT - UT) in seconds for a given date
This function uses polynomial approximations that vary by era. The coefficients are empirically derived from historical observations and extrapolated for future dates.
Accuracy: