Local Solar Time Definition and Illustration

Word of the Week: Local Solar Time

A system of time based on the position of the Sun over a planetary body. It is noon at a specific location when the Sun is directly overhead. It is midnight at the location 180 degrees away — on the opposite side of the planetary body.

On Bennu, the OSIRIS-REx team defines the viewing conditions for observations and navigation activities based on a day that divides the asteroid into 24 equal parts (hours). One Bennuvian day lasts 4.3 Earth hours, and one Bennuvian hour lasts 10.75 Earth minutes.

Credit: University of Arizona


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