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How far ahead or behind can astronomers calculate planets positions? What are limits of these calculations?

Answer 1

Depending on the required accuracy, the positions of the planets can be calculated for hundreds or thousands of years ahead and behind.

Planet positions for any date between 2000 BC and 6000 AD can be computed using the VSOP87 data, which is sufficient for most uses, such as ephemerides and almanacs.

In order to get spacecraft and space probes to their proper positions, the NASA DE430 data can be used to calculate the positions of the Sun, Moon, and planets for dates between 1550 and 2650 with a high degree of accuracy.

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Answer 2

Declan Carroll

The limits of these calculations depend on various factors such as the precision of observational data, computational power, and the influence of gravitational perturbations from other celestial bodies. Astronomers are able to calculate the positions of planets with high accuracy centuries into the future or past.

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Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.