Mundane Stations Study
Station dates are among the most widely used mundane markers, and the Mundane Stations study lists them for the bodies you follow over a chosen period. It generates an event each time a body stations retrograde or direct.
Each event records the body, the kind of station, and the position at which it turned.
Create a Mundane Stations Study
To add a Mundane Stations study to the current workspace:
- Click Mundane Studies → Stations on the menu bar.
- Click Mundane Stations in the Stations submenu.
Alternatively, click the Station Studies drop-down button on the toolbar and select Mundane Stations from its flyout.
The new study appears at the bottom of the Studies list and is selected automatically, so its settings open immediately. It takes its name from the study type.
What This Study Finds
An event is generated at the moment a body stations, meaning the instant its apparent motion turns. The study covers both kinds of turn: the retrograde station, where forward motion gives way to retrograde motion, and the direct station, where the body resumes forward motion. Set the Event Type drop-down to restrict the study to one kind of station only.
The settings column holds the Study Name, the ephemeris settings, the study date range and the Event Type drop-down, followed by a single Bodies selection list holding the bodies whose stations are wanted.
Events Table Columns
The events table lists one row per station. Several columns are hidden by default, as the table notes. Right-click any column header to show or hide a column, as described in Choose Events Table Columns. The coordinate columns follow the study's Reference Plane: their headers read Longitude and Latitude in the ecliptic plane, and Right Asc and Declination in the equatorial plane. The table below gives the ecliptic-plane headers.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Date Time | Date and time the station perfects, in the application's long date and time format. Always the first column, and it cannot be moved. Visible by default. |
| Event Type | Whether the body stationed retrograde or direct. Visible by default. |
| Body | Name of the celestial body. Visible by default. |
| Body Longitude | The body's primary coordinate, in degrees. Hidden by default. |
| Body Sign | The body's position as degrees, sign and minutes of the zodiac. Visible by default. |
| Body Latitude | The body's secondary coordinate, in degrees. Hidden by default. |
| Body Distance | The body's radial distance, in astronomical units (AU). Hidden by default. |
| Body Speed | The body's speed, in degrees per day. Hidden by default. |
| Event Interval | Elapsed time since the previous event in the list. Hidden by default. |