K6

ASTRONOMICAL CONSTANTS

Selected Astronomical Constants

The IAU 2009 System of Astronomical Constants (1) as published in the Report of the IAU Working Group on Numerical Standards for Fundamental Astronomy (NSFA, 2011) and updated by resolution B2 of the IAU XXVIII General Assembly (2012), (2) planetary equatorial radii, taken from the report of the IAU WG on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements: 2009 (2011), and lastly (3) other useful constants. For each quantity the list tabulates its description, symbol and value, and to the right, as appropriate, its uncertainty in units that the quantity is given in. Further information is given at foot of the table on the next page.
1

IAU 2009/2012 System of Astronomical Constants

Speed of light c = 299 792 458 m s1 au = 149 597 870 700 m LG = 6969 290 134 1010 LB = 1550 519 768 108 TDB0 = 655 105 s 0 = 0779 057 273 2640 revolutions = 1002 737 811 911 354 48 revolutions UT1-day1 G = 6674 28 1011 m3 kg1 s2 LC = 1480 826 867 41 108 67 1015 2 1017 1 1010 1 1010 01 1 1010 6 1010 8 105 8 105 8 105 05 4 1010 3 102 8 103 2 102 17 105 1 104 3 102 3 102 28 104 14 106 3 1012 3 1012 3 1012

1.1 Natural Dening Constant:

1.2 Auxiliary Dening Constants: Astronomical unit 1 d(TT)/d(TCG) 1 d(TDB)/d(TCB) TDB TCB at T0 = 244 31445003 725 Earth rotation angle (ERA) at J20000 UT1 Rate of advance of ERA 1.3 Natural Measurable Constant: Constant of gravitation 1.4 Other Constants: Average value of 1 d(TCG)/d(TCB) 1.5 Body Constants: Solar mass parameter

GM S = 1327 124 420 99 1020 m3 s2 (TCB) = 1327 124 400 41 1020 m3 s2 (TDB) Equatorial radius for Earth aE = ae = 6 378 1366 m (TT) Dynamical form-factor for the Earth J2 = 0001 082 635 9 2 = 30 109 cy1 Time rate of change in J2 J Geocentric gravitational constant GM E = 3986 004 418 1014 m3 s2 (TCB) = 3986 004 415 1014 m3 s2 (TT) = 3986 004 356 1014 m3 s2 (TDB) Potential of the geoid W0 = 6263 685 60 107 m2 s2 Nominal mean angular velocity of the Earth = 7292 115 105 rad s1 (TT) Mass Ratio: Moon to Earth MM /ME = 1230 003 71 102 Ratio of the mass of the Sun to the mass of the Body Mass Mass Mass Mass Mass Mass Mass Mass Mass Ratio: Ratio: Ratio: Ratio: Ratio: Ratio: Ratio: Ratio: Ratio: Sun Sun Sun Sun Sun Sun Sun Sun Sun to to to to to to to to to Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune (134340) Pluto (136199) Eris MS /MMe MS /MVe MS /MMa MS /MJ MS /MSa MS /MU MS /MN MS /MP MS /MEris = 6023 6 106 = 4085 237 19 105 = 3098 703 59 106 = 1047 348 644 103 = 3497 9018 103 = 2290 298 104 = 1941 226 104 = 1365 66 108 = 1191 108

Ratio of the mass of the Body to the mass of the Sun Mass Ratio: (1) Ceres to Sun Mass Ratio: (2) Pallas to Sun Mass Ratio: (4) Vesta to Sun MCeres /MS = 472 1010 MPallas /MS = 103 1010 MVesta /MS = 135 1010

All values of the masses from Mars to Eris are the sum of the masses of the celestial body and its satellites. continued . . .

ASTRONOMICAL CONSTANTS
Selected Astronomical Constants (continued)
1.6 Initial Values at J20000: Mean obliquity of the ecliptic 2
J20000

K7

= 23 26 21. 406 = 84 381. 406

0. 001

Constants from IAU WG on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements 2009

Equatorial radii in km: Mercury 2 4397 10 Venus 6 0518 10 Earth 6 3781366 00001 Mars 3 39619 01 Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune 71 492 60 268 25 559 24 764 4 4 4 15 (134340) Pluto 1 195 5

Moon (mean) 1 7374 1 Sun 696 000

Other Constants
Light-time for unit distance . 004 783 84 A = au/c = 499s 1/A = 173144 632 674 au/d Mass Ratio: Earth to Moon ME /MM = 1/ = 81300 568 Mass Ratio: Sun to Earth GM S /GM E = 332 9460487 Mass of the Sun MS = S = GM S /G = 19884 1030 kg Mass of the Earth ME = E = GM E /G = 59722 1024 kg Mass Ratio: Sun to Earth + Moon (S/E)/(1 + ) = 328 9005596 Earth, reciprocal of attening (IERS 2010) 1/f = 298256 42 Rates of precession at J20000 (IAU 2006) General precession in longitude pA = 5028. 796 195 per Julian century (TDB) Rate of change in obliquity = 46. 836 769 per Julian century (TDB) = 5038. 481 507 per Julian century (TDB) Precession of the equator in longitude Precession of the equator in obliquity = 0. 025 754 per Julian century (TDB) Constant of nutation at epoch J20000 N = 9. 2052 331 Solar parallax = sin1 (ae /A) = 8. 794 143 Constant of aberration at epoch J20000 = 20. 495 51 Masses of the larger natural satellites: mass satellite/mass of the planet (see pages F3, F5) Jupiter Io Europa Ganymede Callisto 4704 105 2528 105 7805 105 5667 105 Saturn Titan Uranus Titania Oberon Neptune Triton 2366 104 406 105 347 105 2089 104

3 106 00007 2 1026 6 1020 7 104 1 105

Users are advised to check the NSFAs website at at http://maia.usno.navy.mil/NSFA for the latest list of Current Best Estimates. This website also has detailed information about the constants, and all the relevant references. This almanac, in certain circumstances, may not use constants from this list. The reasons and those constants used are given at the end of Section L Notes and References. Units The units meter (m), kilogram (kg), and SI second (s) are the units of length, mass and time in the International System of Units (SI). The astronomical unit of time is a time interval of one day (D ) of 86400 seconds. An interval of 36525 days is one Julian century. Some constants that involve time, either directly or indirectly need to be compatible with the underlying time-scales. In order to specify this (TDB) or (TCB) or (TT), as appropriate, is included after the unit to indicate that the value of the constant is compatible with the specied time-scale, for example, TDB-compatible. The astronomical unit of length (the au) in metres is re-dened (resolution B2, IAU XXVIII GA 2012) to be a conventional unit of length in agreement with the value adopted in the IAU 2009 Resolution B2; it is to be used with all time scales such as TCB, TDB, TCG, TT, etc. Also the heliocentric gravitational constant GM S is renamed the solar mass parameter. Further information is given at the end of Section L Notes and References.