|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
tropical year
tropical year The interval of time between successive passages of the Sun through the mean equinox. This differs slightly from the period of the Earth's revolution around the Sun, since the equinox itself moves continually due to precession. The length of the tropical year is 365.242 19 days. This is the exact period over which the seasons recur, so it is the length of the year that must be matched by a solar calendar.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"tropical year." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "tropical year." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-tropicalyear.html "tropical year." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-tropicalyear.html |
|
tropical year
tropical year time between successive vernal equinoxes ; 365 days, 5 hr, 48 min, 46 sec of mean solar time (see solar time ). The tropical year is the basis of the year used in the Gregorian calendar . |
|
|
Cite this article
"tropical year." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "tropical year." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-tropyear.html "tropical year." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-tropyear.html |
|