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  • computing solar eclipse August 12, 2026

    orbtimes –help
    orbtimes –location –timezone –daylight
    –query returns 1 if query is true, 0 otherwise
    –selftest will run exhaustive test cases
    –verbose will print diagnostic information

    Examples:
    orbtimes --location "36.048202N 114.950131W 0ft" --timezone -8.0  --daylight 1 
    Called with no (or partial) arguments, and it will guess at timezone, location, and daylight savings.
    orbtimes --location="48.22N 11.54E 0ft" -v
    Called with --moon and/or other orbs.
    orbtimes --moon --location="36.048621N 114.951226W" -v
    Called with a query
    orbtimes --moon --query "sunset>moonrise"
    Called on a particular date and time
    orbtimes -J 2457957.0 -vv
    Called with two stars, solve for location with synthetic sightings
    --star Vega --star Arcturus --location="36N90W"
    Called with two stars, solve for location with two sightings
    --star Vega --star Arcturus --sighting 58.725774 --sighting 61.740039
    TBD solve for time and date with two sightings
    
    All Options:
    --location (-l) Specify location (latitude, longitude, elevation) e.g. "48.22N 11.54E 0ft"
    --query (-q) Specify a query e.g. "sunrise<sunset"
    --date (-D) Specify the date yyy-mm-day
    --ztime (-Z) Specify the Zulu (UT) time. Use in conjunction with date. e.g. "23:6.1"
    --datejd (-J) Specify the Julian day
    --timezone (-t) Specify the timezone
    --daylight (-d) Specify the daylight savings offset
    --twilight_angle (-e) Specify a twilight angle (radians)
    --solar_eclipse (-E) Run solar eclipse calculation for probability and time
    --selftest (-s) Run self test mode
    --verbose (-v) Print more information
    --ascii_art (-A) Display option
    --map (-m) Specify map (spacechart catalog)
    --moon (-M) Display lunar (i.e. Moon) info
    --moondays (-N) Display lunar new and full info
    --mercury --venus --mars --jupiter --saturn --uranus --neptune (--orbs) Display each planets info (or all) 
    --star (-9) Display star celestial (RA.DEC) and topographic (EL.AZ) info for date, time, location and epoch. 
      solve for location given two stars circle of equal position intersect.
      "An analytical solution of the Two Star Sight Problem of Celestial Navigation." Van Allen 1981.
      if no sightings, then guess elevation (EL) angles.
    --sighting (-C) Set sighting elevation angle (EL) for respective star. 
    --twilight (-T) Display twilight info [0..3] civil,nautical,astronomical,general

    $ orbtimes –solar_eclipse
    SOLAR_ECLIPSE CALCULATE -E
    location is latitude 36.000000 longitude -90.000000 daylight offset 1.000000
    Sunset local day Tuesday 19:50.505922 August 11 2026
    Sunrise local day Wednesday 6:16.183105 August 12 2026
    Check: Solar eclipse possible. MUST be at new moon 46245.468565 == 46245.234619 (12.000000 8.000000 2026.000000)
    argument latitude 2.990440 event day 46245.000000 event fraction 0.234619
    Check: calculating solar eclipse on date 2026 8 12 and location -90.000000 36.000000
    moon_lat 0.151152
    eclipse probability 1.000000 at UT time 18.017936

  • And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

    And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

  • I will fear no evil.

    Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

  • orbtimes variables JD and DJ

    Julian Day Number JD began at 12:00 PM (noon) Universal Time on January 1, 4713 BC. the variable JD is an extended precision floating point number, with the fractional part determining fractions of a day with respect to Universal Time (UT).

    // Sunrise Friday   6:2.257904 July 25 2025 (local day)  Julian 2460881.959901 (hours UT=11.037632 )        
    // location is latitude 36.000000 longitude -90.000000 daylight offset 1.000000       
        dj = JulianDays(25, 7, 2025);                                                                               
        jd = trueJulianDays(dj);                                                                                    
        icheck = (fabs(jd-2460881.959901)<1.0);                                                                     
                              

    /* in our system we work with a modified
    julianDay from 1900
    */
    extended trueJulianDays(extended jd)
    {
    return jd + 2415020;
    }

  • We shall overcome

    A song I heard many times. A song I sung many times. A song I play on the guitar. I believe the song references John 16:33.

    These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

    He has overcome the world, and so we can too.

  • Don’t ask questions.

    My father was a scientist. I asked him, “What’s science?” He said that scientists ask questions, and make experiments to get answers. The question is called a hypothesis. Of course you don’t need to make a controlled experiment, many answers can be drawn from careful observation. This is called the scientific method.

    Another method is called the Socratic method. In this, you are supposed to engage others in a dialog with questions and answers.

    Both of these methods could be about uncovering truth.

    Then, there is the method of blog, or diaries. One keeps a daily record, it could be weekly, or randomly of one’s Fear, feelings, fantasies, Love, observations. To what end? For what purpose?

    I feel a need to search, to find answers. I feel a need to fill that hole in my life. I feel a need to communicate, to share, to love. I feel a need to be honest with myself.

    “Why?”

    “Because I said so.”

  • Ecstasy of Gold

    I recorded Morricone’s theme from the film “The good bad and ugly” back in 2018. The movie is a spaghetti western about the U.S. Civil war. There is a three-way gunfight in the climax of the movie between Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach where this theme plays. The setting is a soldiers’ graveyard.

    I recorded from a guitar tabulature from my program vguitar driving a MIDI synth.

  • June 15, 763 B.C.

    solar eclipse in Ninevah.

    https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/5MCSE/5MCSE-Maps-03.pdf

    so the thesis is that Exodus happened in 1446 BC and Solomon’s temple (the first temple) in 966 BC. And the world and Adam and Eve were created in Anno Mundi 3761 BC.