Package org.orekit.time

Class UTCScale

  • All Implemented Interfaces:
    Serializable, TimeScale
    public class UTCScale
extends Object
implements TimeScale
    Coordinated Universal Time.

    UTC is related to TAI using step adjustments from time to time according to IERS (International Earth Rotation Service) rules. Before 1972, these adjustments were piecewise linear offsets. Since 1972, these adjustments are piecewise constant offsets, which require introduction of leap seconds.

    Leap seconds are always inserted as additional seconds at the last minute of the day, pushing the next day forward. Such minutes are therefore more than 60 seconds long. In theory, there may be seconds removal instead of seconds insertion, but up to now (2010) it has never been used. As an example, when a one second leap was introduced at the end of 2005, the UTC time sequence was 2005-12-31T23:59:59 UTC, followed by 2005-12-31T23:59:60 UTC, followed by 2006-01-01T00:00:00 UTC.

    This is intended to be accessed thanks to the TimeScalesFactory class, so there is no public constructor.

    Author:
    Luc Maisonobe
    See Also:
    AbsoluteDate, Serialized Form

    • Method Detail

      • getName

        public String getName()
        Get the name time scale.
        Specified by:
        getName in interface TimeScale
        Returns:
        name of the time scale

      • getFirstKnownLeapSecond

        public AbsoluteDate getFirstKnownLeapSecond()
        Get the date of the first known leap second.
        Returns:
        date of the first known leap second

      • getLastKnownLeapSecond

        public AbsoluteDate getLastKnownLeapSecond()
        Get the date of the last known leap second.
        Returns:
        date of the last known leap second

      • insideLeap

        public boolean insideLeap​(AbsoluteDate date)
        Check if date is within a leap second introduction in this time scale.

        This method will return false for all time scales that do not implement leap seconds, even if the date corresponds to a leap second in UTC scale.

        Specified by:
        insideLeap in interface TimeScale
        Parameters:
        date - date to check
        Returns:
        true if time is within a leap second introduction

      • insideLeap

        public <T extends org.hipparchus.RealFieldElement<T>> boolean insideLeap​(FieldAbsoluteDate<T> date)
        Check if date is within a leap second introduction in this time scale.

        This method will return false for all time scales that do not implement leap seconds, even if the date corresponds to a leap second in UTC scale.

        Specified by:
        insideLeap in interface TimeScale
        Type Parameters:
        T - type of the filed elements
        Parameters:
        date - date to check
        Returns:
        true if time is within a leap second introduction

      • minuteDuration

        public int minuteDuration​(AbsoluteDate date)
        Check length of the current minute in this time scale.

        This method will return 60 for all time scales that do not implement leap seconds, even if the date corresponds to a leap second in UTC scale, and 61 for time scales that do implement leap second when the current date is within the last minute before the leap, or during the leap itself.

        Specified by:
        minuteDuration in interface TimeScale
        Parameters:
        date - date to check
        Returns:
        60 or 61 depending on leap seconds introduction

      • minuteDuration

        public <T extends org.hipparchus.RealFieldElement<T>> int minuteDuration​(FieldAbsoluteDate<T> date)
        Check length of the current minute in this time scale.

        This method will return 60 for all time scales that do not implement leap seconds, even if the date corresponds to a leap second in UTC scale, and 61 for time scales that do implement leap second when the current date is within the last minute before the leap, or during the leap itself.

        Specified by:
        minuteDuration in interface TimeScale
        Type Parameters:
        T - type of the filed elements
        Parameters:
        date - date to check
        Returns:
        60 or 61 depending on leap seconds introduction

      • getLeap

        public double getLeap​(AbsoluteDate date)
        Get the value of the previous leap.

        This method will return 0.0 for all time scales that do not implement leap seconds.

        Specified by:
        getLeap in interface TimeScale
        Parameters:
        date - date to check
        Returns:
        value of the previous leap

      • getLeap

        public <T extends org.hipparchus.RealFieldElement<T>> T getLeap​(FieldAbsoluteDate<T> date)
        Get the value of the previous leap.

        This method will return 0.0 for all time scales that do not implement leap seconds.

        Specified by:
        getLeap in interface TimeScale
        Type Parameters:
        T - type of the filed elements
        Parameters:
        date - date to check
        Returns:
        value of the previous leap