> > have no leap seconds. Astronomers appear to avoid
> > using MJD altogether.
>
> Good grief. MJD is used widely in astronomy, for example in variablility
> studies where you want a real number to represent time rather than deal
> with the complications of parsing a date. It tends to be written into the
> FITS header of practically every data file observed.
>
> Pete.
OK, my information was dated. It was my impression
from reading lots of metrology papers and a few astronomy
papers that the timing folks almost always use MJD
while astronomers almost always use JD. There was
also something about the IAU and [mis]use of MJD.
I see now the deeper IAU MJD story is covered at:
http://hbar.phys.msu.ru/gorm/ahist/juldate.htm
and
RESOLUTION B1: ON THE USE OF JULIAN DATES
http://www.iers.org/iers/earth/resolutions/UAI_b1.html
http://www.iers.org/MainDisp.csl?pid=98-110
Thanks for the clarification.
/tvb
Received on Tue Jan 10 2006 - 04:53:41 PST