Transit Duration Hours from Period and Impact Parameter Calculator
Circular first-to-fourth-contact transit duration; b measured in stellar radii, finite geometric chord and inclination, no eccentricity/limb darkening.
Description
Transit Duration Hours from Period and Impact Parameter Calculator: return circular transit hours.
Transit duration depends on how a planet's projected chord crosses the stellar disk. The impact parameter describes the chord's offset from the center.
This tool returns circular transit hours. Use the stated units and model convention when interpreting these fields.
When to use this tool
Use this tool when the supplied inputs match the specific operation described above and you need a repeatable result under its stated convention.
- Check the supported input and output contract against an existing calculation or observation.
- Use the complete example to confirm units, selector spelling and result interpretation.
How to use the tool and how it works
- Enter every field in the input table using the stated units and the exact supported selector spelling where applicable.
- Run the tool. Correct input errors before interpreting an output.
- Read the result fields below; use accompanying flags and the stated sign, boundary or model convention when interpreting a number.
Evaluate the circular-orbit arcsine chord expression using period, stellar-radius/orbit ratio, planet/star radius ratio and impact parameter. Reject detached-orbit or positive-chord violations.1
| Input field | Meaning and units | Accepted input |
|---|---|---|
| periodHours | Period hours. Hours. | Finite number; greater than zero |
| starRadiusOverSemimajor | Star radius over semimajor. | Finite number; greater than zero |
| planetToStarRadius | Planet to star radius. | Finite number; from zero to one inclusive |
| impactParameter | Impact parameter. | Finite number; zero or greater |
| Output field | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| result | Object containing the following named result fields. |
| result.circularTransitHours | Circular transit hours; use the stated units and sign convention. |
{
"input": {
"periodHours": 314.1592653589793,
"starRadiusOverSemimajor": 0.09090909090909091,
"planetToStarRadius": 0.1,
"impactParameter": 0
},
"output": {
"result": {
"circularTransitHours": 10.01674211615598
}
}
}Limitations and assumptions
- The result assumes circular geometry and supplied parameters, without limb-darkening fitting or eccentric-orbit corrections.
- Every declared field is required and unexpected fields are rejected. Numeric inputs must be finite; input errors are distinct from a valid false result or an explicitly qualified output.
- Extremely large inputs and nonfinite or excessively large outputs are rejected. List positions reported by the tool use zero-based indices unless stated otherwise.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Check the underlying observations, units and conventions independently before using the result in a larger workflow. The tools listed below address nearby tasks; compare their inputs and scope before substituting one for this operation.
References
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