A Simple Method for Calculating a Planet's Mean Annual Insolation by Latitude [EPA]

http://arxiv.org/abs/1510.04542


Common methods for calculating a planet’s annual insolation by latitude have relied on computationally heavy or complex computer algorithms. In this paper, we show that mean annual insolation by latitude of a planet with obliquity angle $\beta$ can be found by taking the definite integral of a function of longitude. This leads to faster computations and more accurate results. We discuss differences between our method and selected computational results for insolation found in the literature.

Read this paper on arXiv…

A. Nadeau and R. McGehee
Fri, 16 Oct 15
25/67

Comments: 5 pages, 2 figures