What Formulas Does AS3 Use?

arakish

What formulas does AstroSynthesis 3 (AS3) use?

Are they real formulas? Or are they simplified versions of the real formulas?

The reason why I ask is due to plugging numbers in for my stellar system. Nothing comes out as they should. In fact, AS3 makes a complete mess of the calculations.

Using the formulas I learned while earning my degrees (ASc Geographic Survey Technology, ASc Astrophysics, BSc Geography/Geology with minor Celestial Mechanics), and the programs I was given and still use, the numbers come out perfectly, every time. The numbers are perfectly accepted by the program Celestia. Celestia projects the orbits perfectly using the below data, as it should. However, AstroSynthesis miscalculates everything. Plug the numbers in yourself. You shall see that AstroSynthesis makes a complete mess of everything it autocalcs.

When I entered the numbers below, at least the ones AS allows me to enter, it lists Ondero's orbital period as being equal to 3d 21h. That is way off from the calculations I have performed using the true formulas I learned. As can be seen, Ondero's true orbital period about Onaviu is 72 Earth days, NOT 3d 21h! This suggests something is seriously wrong with the formulas (algorithms) that AS uses.

Perhaps some more study may be needed by the Authors/Creators?

Sareylan Parameters
Spectral Class: F5
Stellar Type: V
Surface Temperature: 6789°K
Luminosity: 8.175929×10^26 J
VMR: 734,872,421 meters
Mass: 2.236844×10^30 kg
Volume: 1.662355×10^27 m^3
Mean Density: 1345.587753 kg/m^3
HGWR: 168,697,716,653 meters
Description: White; yellowish
Ecosphere Radii: 0.895680698 to 6.269764883 AU
Eccentrics: 0


Onaviu Physical Parameters
Mass: 1.3948884e25 kg
Volume: 2.29441237e21 m^3
Equatorial Radius: 8186795 m
Polar Radius: 8172502 m
Volumetric Mean Radius: 8182028 m
Oblateness: 0.001745955034
Inverse Flattening Ratio: 522.753974013
Mean Density: 6079.5 kg/m^3
Surface Gravity: 13907 cm/s^2
Ballistic Escape Velocity: 15085 m/s^2
E-band Albedo: 0.299816
V-band Albedo: 0.379841
Solar Irradiance: 1464.3 W/m^2
Topographic Range: 26813 m
Natural Satellites: 3
Ring System: Yes
Land/Sea Percentages: 18/82
Total Surface Area: 804283258247500 m^2
Land Surface Area: 151250986484550 m^2


Onaviu Orbital Parameters
Mean Distance (AU): 1.409047
Mean Distance (m): 210790462973
Orbital Period (seconds): 49766400
Orbital Period (Earth days): 576
Orbital Period (local days): 432
Periapsis (AU): 1.383351
Periapsis (m): 206946403774
Apoapsis (AU): 1.434743
Apoapsis (m): 214634522172
Mean Orbital Velocity: 26613 m/s^2
Orbital Inclination: 0.00 (used as base ecliptic)
Orbital Eccentricity: 0.0182364
Orbital Obliquity: 18d 15m 4s
Rotational Period (Tropical): 115200 s
Rotational Period (Sidereal): 114976 s


Onaviu Longitudinal Orbital Elements (listed in degrees/radians)
Longitude of Periapsis: 159.64/2.786
Longitude of Apoapsis: 338.28/5.904
Longitude of Mean Distance: 247.18/4.314
Longitude of Ascending Node: 58.46/1.02
Longitude of Descending Node: 236.54/4.128
Longitude of Argument of Apsis: 159.96/2.792


Onaviu Atmospheric Details
Surface Pressure: 1457.426 mb
Surface Density: 1.760697 kg/m^3
Scale Height: 5887 m
GAST: 291° K
Diurnal Temperature Range: 281° to 296° K
Wind Speeds: 0 to 150 m/s
Molecular Mean Weight: 29.36 g/mole

============================================================================

Ondero Physical Parameters
Mass: 5.469717417e23 kg
Volume: 1.208910911e20 m^3
Equatorial Radius: 3071202 m
Polar Radius: 3059771 m
Volumetric Mean Radius: 3065486 m
Oblateness: 0.0037219955
Inverse Flattening Ratio: 268.673082
Mean Density: 4524.5 kg/m^3
Surface Gravity: 388.5 cm/s^2
Ballistic Escape Velocity: 4881 m/s^2
E-band Albedo: 0.269306
V-band Albedo: 0.237441
Mean Solar Irradiance: 1478.6 W/m^2
Topographic Range: unk
Natural Satellites: 1
Ring System: No
Land/Sea Percentages: unk
Total Surface Area: unk
Land Surface Area: unk


Ondero Orbital Parameters
Mean Distance (m): 956429104
Orbital Period (seconds): 6220800 (54 Onaviu days)
Orbital Period (Earth days): 72
Orbital Period (local days): 80
Periapsis (m): 956388242
Apoapsis (m): 956519976
Mean Orbital Velocity: 77281 m/s^2
Orbital Inclination: 1.107
Orbital Eccentricity: 0.000095
Orbital Obliquity: 12d 50m 58s
Rotational Period (Tropical): 77760 s
Rotational Period (Sidereal): 77613 s


Ondero Longitudinal Orbital Elements (listed in degrees)
Longitude of Periapsis: 176.611
Longitude of Apoapsis: 353.428
Longitude of Mean Distance: 74.358
Longitude of Ascending Node: 189.041
Longitude of Descending Node: 12.964
Longitude of Argument of Apsis: 94.587


Ondero Atmospheric Details (all are unknown (unk))
Surface Pressure: unk
Surface Density: unk
Scale Height: unk
GAST: unk
Diurnal Temperature Range: unk
Wind Speeds: unk
Molecular Mean Weight: unk


rmfr

Ed_NBOS

If you have a small sample sector that displays the problem, email it to the support address. There's no need for snark. If there's a problem with the calculations I'll fix them. But every test I've run has them correct (for speed it doesn't calc positions to very high resolution). One note, Astro uses distance from surface I believe, not center mass. That can impact orbital times around very large bodies.