galisats - Configuration of Jupiter's Four Largest Satellites
Calculate, plot and animate the configuration of Jupiter's
four largest satellites (known as Galilean satellites) for a
given date and time (UTC - Coordinated Universal Time). The
galsat() function returns numerical values of the satellites’
positions. x – the apparent rectangular coordinate of the
satellite with respect to the center of Jupiter’s disk in the
equatorial plane in the units of Jupiter’s equatorial radius; X
is positive toward the west, y – the apparent rectangular
coordinate of the satellite with respect to the center of
Jupiter’s disk from the equatorial plane in the units of
Jupiter’s equatorial radius; Y is positive toward the north.
For more details see Meeus (1988, ISBN 0-943396-22-0)
"Astronomical Formulae for Calculators". The galsat_animate()
function creates an animation of the Galilean satellites'
positions. You provide the starting time, duration, the time
step between frames, and the pause between frames. The function
delta_t() returns the value of delta-T in units of seconds.