Pallisican Scientific Standard Calendar
Adopted in 910 WG (6371 ASC), the Pallisican Scientific Standard Calendar (PSSC) is the official calendar system of Passio-Corum. Adopted as a replacement for the Weran Gherfan calendar system - itself unofficially adopted in Hamland around 5306 ASC - the PSSC determines the current year by dividing the current year according to the ASC calendar by the number of days in one Micrasian Orbital Period. The system was adopted by Passio-Corum during the reign of Oracle Opyeme Amor, on the basis that it reflects better than other calendar systems a modern, scientific understanding of Micras and its place in the Atos System.
Important Dates
To better understand the Pallisican Scientific Standard Calendar, please refer to the table below:
| Event | Event Date (Gregorian) | Event Date (ASC) | Event Date (PSSC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Establishment of the Republic of Passas | July 29, 2006 | 2549 | 13.92 (1392) |
| Establishment of Passio-Corum | January 1st, 2014 | 5275 | 28.82 (2882) |
| Annexation of Passas by Passio-Corum | January 8th, 2017 | 6365 | 34.78 (3478) |
| Adoption of the PSSC Calendar by Passio-Corum | January 14th, 2017 | 6371 | 34.81 (3481) |
Advantages
The greatest advantage of the PSSC system over others is its extremely high degree of precision. Unlike others, which have historically only provided information regarding the current year, the Pallisican Scientific Standard Calendar is able to provide specific details regarding not only the year, but also an exact astronomical time and date on Micras. The process for determining such information is outlined in the table below.
| Year ASC/Micrasian Orbital Period = Astronomical Year | % of Astronomical Year * Micrasian Orbital Period = Astronomical Day | % of Astronomical Day * Hours in Micrasian Solar Day = Astronomical Hour | % of Astronomical Hour * Minutes in Astronomical Hour (Assuming 60 minute hour) = Astronomical Minutes | Astronomical Time and Date DD/MM/YY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6412 / 183 = 35.03 | .03 * 183 = 5.49 | .49 * 24 = 11.76 | .76 * 60 = 52.8 | 11:52 PM 5/1/35 PSSC |
Details
The Astronomical Year
The astronomical year, which is equivalent in length to the period of one orbital year, can be divided according to the Pallisican Scientific Standard Calendar into three, 61 day months. These sixty-one day months correspond to the three major seasons and their impact on agriculture. The first month of the year, according to the PSSC, corresponds to Spring, or the planting season, the second month corresponds to the Summer, or the growth interval, and the third month corresponds to Autumn, the harvest season. This calendar system does not recognize winter as a season of its own.
Astronomical Days and Weeks
One astronomical day is 24 hours long, and there are are 183 days in one astronomical year. Days are organized into weeks which reflect the lunar cycles, of which there are around 7.6 per astronomical year. One week, according to the PSSC, is equal to six days, or one-quarter of a lunar cycle. Thus there are four weeks in each lunar cycle, around 2.5 lunar cycles in each month, and three months in each astronomical year.
Hours, Minutes and Seconds
The Pallisican Scientific Calendar, as demonstrated above, enables the user to measure the current time and date down to the hour, minute and second. Hours, according to the PSSC, are comprised of 60 minutes, which are comprised of 60 seconds.
Time Sync Anomaly
Researchers of the Pallisican Scientific Standard Calendar have determined that generally, the ASC calendar advances at a predictable rate which is twice as fast as that of the PSSC (1 Year PSSC = 2 Years ASC). What is unusual about this relationship is that once every ten years, the two calendar systems advance at the same rate, rather than at different rates. This anomaly, which occurs progressively later during each ten year cycle, is not currently understood by researchers. The following table provides an overview of the phenomenon.
A phenomenon similar to the Time Sync Anomaly has been observed in Shireroth, where researchers have postulated the theory of Temporal Haemorrhaging.
| Year PSSC | Year ASC |
|---|---|
| 35.03 | 6410 |
| - | 6411 |
| 35.04 | 6412 |
| - | 6413 |
| 35.05 | 6414 |
| - | 6415 |
| 35.06 | 6416 |
| 35.07 | 6417 |
| - | 6418 |
| 35.08 | 6419 |
| - | 6420 |
| 35.09 | 6421 |
| - | 6422 |
| 35.10 | 6423 |
| - | 6424 |
| 35.11 | 6425 |
| - | 6426 |
| 35.12 | 6427 |
| - | 6428 |
| 35.13 | 6429 |
| - | 6430 |
Time Zones
The Pallisican Scientific Standard Calendar recognizes the existence of twenty-four distinct time-zones around Micras. For its part, the Greater Pallisican Trade Association claims territory extending across ten of the world's time zones, from the Eastern Dyre Straits Time Zone (EDST) to the Western Madison Isle Time Zone (WMIT). The nation's capital city of Lucien, however, lies in the Corumian Standard Time Zone (CRM).
In 2019 the times zones laid out under the PSSC system were appropriated in the development of Coordinated Micras Time.
| Time Zone | TZ Abbreviation | UTC Offset |
|---|---|---|
| Western Dyre Straits Time Zone | WDST | +1 |
| Eastern Dyre Straits Time Zone | EDST | +2 |
| Western Orange Sea Time Zone | WORT | +3 |
| Eastern Orange Sea Time Zone | EORT | +4 |
| Western Hammish Standard Time Zone | WHST | +5 |
| Central Hammish Standard Time Zone | CHST | +6 |
| Western Corumian Standard Time Zone | WCRM | +7 |
| Eastern Corumian Standard Time Zone | ECRM | +8 |
| Western Taylor Bay Time Zone | WTBT | +9 |
| Eastern Taylor Bay Time Zone | ETBT | +10 |
| Western Madison Isle Time Zone | WMIT | +11 |
| Eastern Madison Isle Time Zone | EMIT | +12 |
| UTC | - | 0 |
| Eastern Antya Apollonian Time Zone | EANT | -1 |
| Western Antya Apollonian Time Zone | WANT | -2 |
| Central Apollonian Time Zone | CAPT | -3 |
| West-Central Apollonian Time Zone | WAPT | -4 |
| Eastern Central Sea Standard Time Zone | ECST | -5 |
| Western Central Sea Standard Time Zone | WCST | -6 |
| Eastern Shire Sea Time Zone | ESHS | -7 |
| Western Shire Sea Time Zone | WSHS | -8 |
| Eastern Benacian Mountain Time Zone | EBMT | -9 |
| Western Benacian Mountain Time Zone | WBMT | -10 |
| Western Benacian Time Zone | WBTZ | -11 |
| Far Western Benacian Time Zone | FWBT | -12 |
The Night Sky
Using the system for accurately determining the current time on Micras, it also possible to learn what stars are visible at any given location in the world. To determine which stars are visible overhead, first determine the current longitudinal position of the sun, and then add or subtract 180 degrees from that position to determine the longitudinal position of midnight. If the sun is above longitude 360 (the international dateline), for example, then it is midnight at 180 degrees (UTC). Once you have determined the longitudinal position of midnight, refer to the map shown at left to determine what stars are currently visible.
