Martian Calendar

[Dean Mullen]

I have developed a calendar that perhaps maybe useful for individuals colonizing mars in the future centuries.

 

Each Martian Year or Mear contains 704 sols (687 days)

 

Each sol lasts 23 hours 35 minutes

 

There is 12 months of each Mear and here is the list of them

 

January: 59 sols

February: 59 sols

March: 58 sols

April: 59 sols

May: 59 sols

June: 58 sols

July: 59 sols

August: 59 sols

September: 58 sols

October: 59 sols

November: 59 sols

December: 58 sols

 

Every 29 sols there is 1 hour added to the clock due to the fact it uses 24 hours 35 mins rather than 24 hours 37 mins which is the official time yet I see 24 hours 35 mins as more efficient just as we use 24 hours rather than the official earth day of 23 hours 56 minutes.

 

Every 4 Mears that particular Mear contains 2 leap sols

 

Every 16 Mears that particular Mear contains an extra 2 leap sols (4 in total)

 

and Every 80 Mears that particular Mear contains an extra 1 leap sol (5 in total)

 

So lets say the Martian calendar begun on January 1st, 2000.

 

The date on Mars would now be May 44th, 05 MCY

 

MCY = Martian Calendar Year

 

and the next martian new year would be March 20th, 2012 A.D.

 

So with this calendar martian colonies of the 22nd century will be able to keep an accurate time keeping of their planets date time.

[zapatos]

If you know the length of a day and a year on Mars and want to base your time keeping on that, why don't you just use the actual values rather than intentionally use incorrect values and constantly have to correct your built in error?

[Dean Mullen]

If you know the length of a day and a year on Mars and want to base your time keeping on that, why don't you just use the actual values rather than intentionally use incorrect values and constantly have to correct your built in error?

 

Because that would require months that attain 58.6 days. Its easier to use the real lengths of days thats what we do here on Earth. We don't use 365.25 days per year hence we have a leap year and we don't have 23 hours 56 minutes in a day either, we have 24 to make things simpler.

[zapatos]

Because that would require months that attain 58.6 days. Its easier to use the real lengths of days thats what we do here on Earth. We don't use 365.25 days per year hence we have a leap year and we don't have 23 hours 56 minutes in a day either, we have 24 to make things simpler.

Could you have:

 

100 meconds (martian seconds) per minute (martian minute)

100 minutes per mour (martian hour)

10 mours per sol

 

I would think that would keep your clock in synch with the rotation of Mars.

[Dean Mullen]

Could you have:

 

100 meconds (martian seconds) per minute (martian minute)

100 minutes per mour (martian hour)

10 mours per sol

 

I would think that would keep your clock in synch with the rotation of Mars.

 

Well I suppose it would work, yes. But changing the counting of the short periods of time would be very confusing for earthling-martian interaction. It may cause much confusion for earthlings visiting Mars and martians visiting Earth, then again it may just seem complex because you've only suggested it. So I suppose that's a great point it could work to have meconds, minutes and mours but we'll just have to wait and see what the martians do.

[SMF]

Dean. I really hope that someday some martian colonists will figure this our for themselves, but in the meantime thanks for sharing your fun project. SM