Raw research

updated 2026-09-15

Working notes, one topic per folder. Each note ends with what this changes for the pipeline design, saying so explicitly when the answer is nothing, and then the questions it could not close, naming the paper, dataset or line of code to obtain rather than the subject to think about further.

Synthesis lives in reports. These pages are allowed to contradict each other until it does.

In this section

FoundationsThe foundations of Besselian eclipse calculation: the fundamental plane, shadow geometry and elements derived from Sun and Moon positions.2 pages Catalogues and typesHow algorithms find and classify solar eclipses, and which catalogues provide reference data for testing eclipse calculation software.3 pages Global circumstancesCalculate global eclipse circumstances: the central line, path limits, shadow outlines, durations and partial-eclipse map contours.3 pages Local circumstancesMethods for calculating eclipse contact times, magnitude, obscuration and duration at an observer's location, with corrections and public code.3 pages Lunar limb profileHow lunar mountains and valleys enter eclipse calculation through Watts, Kaguya and LOLA profiles, affecting contacts, path limits and beads.3 pages Solar radiusCompare solar radius choices for eclipse calculation and their effects on path limits, durations and local contact times.2 pages Earth model and time scalesEarth shape, terrain, ΔT, rotation, refraction and time scales in eclipse calculation, with the size and treatment of each effect.3 pages Lunar and solar modelEphemerides, lunar radius, centre of figure, coordinate frames and libration choices used by solar eclipse calculation algorithms.2 pages Software and repositoriesCompare eclipse calculation software, web services, open-source libraries and datasets by methods, constants, licences and validation evidence.4 pages Validation and error budgetHow eclipse calculations are tested against observations and other predictors, with contact timing, path-edge differences and error budgets.3 pages NASA SVS and Ernie WrightNASA SVS terrain-aware eclipse maps, the Wright and Young 2024 paper, released datasets and comparisons with other eclipse predictors.3 pages