<p>All the solar system simulations I've come across showing the positions of planets only show the positions in a certain time period, at beginning of the first millenium the earliest. There was just one exception where I could enter minus-years but it's unreliable (and in fact there never was a year 0). Do you know a simulation/planetary system map where I can learn the planet's positions before Christ? To make it clear: I mean the planet's heliocentric positions (when you look on our system from 'above' the Sun), not their location on the sky.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-12T15:28:50.500Z
Actually, I think that  astronomers use a year numbering system with a year 0, which corresponds to 1 BC.  thus 2 BC is year -1, 3 BC is year -2, and so on in the astronomical year count.
M. A. Golding
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2020-11-12T15:56:55.900Z
@M.A.Golding Perhaps the one simulator was trustworthy but I wonder whether there's a more reliable one that definitely is trimmed for showing the planet's positions in years BC.
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-12T22:52:36.207Z
There is a general collection of resources at [Where can I find the positions of the planets, stars, moons, artificial satellites, etc. and visualize them?](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/13488/7982) and I think that answers can draw from those choices.
uhoh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-13T05:41:06.280Z
The AD/BC abbreviations are often replaced with CE/BCE for common era and before common era. I'm fine with either, but CE/BCE are more commonly used. That said, the AD/BC system of counting years was put in place in 525 AD and more accurate estimates have been done since then, putting Christ's birth at around 6 BC, not 1 anno Domini.  There's not surprisingly, some uncertainty and disagreement on the year.      https://www.religioustolerance.org/ce_info.htm#:~:text=History%20of%20the%20AD%2FBC%20notation%3A%20The%20AD%2FBC%20notation,years%20in%20the%20Easter%20tables%20that%20he%20prepared.
userLTK
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-13T07:10:44.250Z
@userLTK "Common era" and such nonsense was applied in Eastern Bloc countries. 2020 is the current year of the _Christian_ calendar. If you don't like it or don't like Christianity for some reason, use another calendar. If you don't like religion in general, use the French revolution calendar. Although the Christian calendar is not quite correct, we have the year 2020 AD, not 2026. I don't know who's responsible for changing that.
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-13T07:18:37.140Z
@John It's my understanding that CE/BCE are the current accepted and preferred abbreviations.  I said in my answer that I'm fine with either, so I don't know how you determined my feelings on Christianity when I'm said I was fine with AD/BC.  I never considered AD or BC to be religious terms.  They were what was used when I was in school and I'm more familiar with them.   https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/32953/why-use-bce-ce-instead-of-bc-ad
userLTK
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-13T07:32:06.780Z
@userLTK "CE" and something were used by Eastern Bloc countries, for obvious reasons. When 'scientists' nowadays also use CE/BCE they seem to copy from communist Eastern Europe.
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-13T08:04:40.483Z
@John I suggest you read the link I provided from English Stack Exchange.  It also doesn't date back to Eastern Block countries but England in 1708.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Era#:~:text=The%20term%20%22Common%20Era%22%20can%20be%20found%20in,academic%20and%20scientific%20publications%20as%20culturally%20neutral%20terms.
userLTK
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-13T08:06:04.030Z
@userLTK I've read it.
John
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-02T06:00:06.220Z
See the [Horizons Web-Interface](https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi), which "provides access to key solar system data and flexible production of highly accurate ephemerides for solar system objects (1110478 asteroids, 3743 comets, 209 planetary satellites, 8 planets, the Sun, L1, L2, select spacecraft, and system barycenters)". The freely available Horizons data spans 9999 BC to 9999 AD.
PM 2Ring
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-02T06:01:18.250Z
However, there are [limitations](https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?horizons_doc#mb): "System barycenters are available over longer time-spans than planet-centers because planet-centers are defined by satellite solutions. These satellite solutions are based on shorter data arcs than the entire system and can therefore be extrapolated only over shorter time-spans. For example, the planet Jupiter (599) might be available over the interval 1600-2500, while the Jupiter system barycenter (5) is available over 9999 B.C. to A.D. 9999."
PM 2Ring
<orbit><planet><solar-system>
Positions of planets before Christ?
John
# Positions of planets before Christ?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-11-12)

All the solar system simulations I've come across showing the positions of planets only show the positions in a certain time period, at beginning of the first millenium the earliest. There was just one exception where I could enter minus-years but it's unreliable (and in fact there never was a year 0). Do you know a simulation/planetary system map where I can learn the planet's positions before Christ? To make it clear: I mean the planet's heliocentric positions (when you look on our system from 'above' the Sun), not their location on the sky.

**Tags:** orbit, planet, solar-system

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Actually, I think that  astronomers use a year numbering system with a year 0, which corresponds to 1 BC.  thus 2 BC is year -1, 3 BC is year -2, and so on in the astronomical year count.  
> **username_0**: @M.A.Golding Perhaps the one simulator was trustworthy but I wonder whether there's a more reliable one that definitely is trimmed for showing the planet's positions in years BC.  
> **username_2**: There is a general collection of resources at [Where can I find the positions of the planets, stars, moons, artificial satellites, etc. and visualize them?](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/13488/7982) and I think that answers can draw from those choices.  
> **username_3**: The AD/BC abbreviations are often replaced with CE/BCE for common era and before common era. I'm fine with either, but CE/BCE are more commonly used. That said, the AD/BC system of counting years was put in place in 525 AD and more accurate estimates have been done since then, putting Christ's birth at around 6 BC, not 1 anno Domini.  There's not surprisingly, some uncertainty and disagreement on the year.      https://www.religioustolerance.org/ce_info.htm#:~:text=History%20of%20the%20AD%2FBC%20notation%3A%20The%20AD%2FBC%20notation,years%20in%20the%20Easter%20tables%20that%20he%20prepared.  
> **username_0**: @username_3 "Common era" and such nonsense was applied in Eastern Bloc countries. 2020 is the current year of the _Christian_ calendar. If you don't like it or don't like Christianity for some reason, use another calendar. If you don't like religion in general, use the French revolution calendar. Although the Christian calendar is not quite correct, we have the year 2020 AD, not 2026. I don't know who's responsible for changing that.  
> **username_3**: @username_0 It's my understanding that CE/BCE are the current accepted and preferred abbreviations.  I said in my answer that I'm fine with either, so I don't know how you determined my feelings on Christianity when I'm said I was fine with AD/BC.  I never considered AD or BC to be religious terms.  They were what was used when I was in school and I'm more familiar with them.   https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/32953/why-use-bce-ce-instead-of-bc-ad  
> **username_0**: @username_3 "CE" and something were used by Eastern Bloc countries, for obvious reasons. When 'scientists' nowadays also use CE/BCE they seem to copy from communist Eastern Europe.  
> **username_3**: @username_0 I suggest you read the link I provided from English Stack Exchange.  It also doesn't date back to Eastern Block countries but England in 1708.    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Era#:~:text=The%20term%20%22Common%20Era%22%20can%20be%20found%20in,academic%20and%20scientific%20publications%20as%20culturally%20neutral%20terms.  
> **username_0**: @username_3 I've read it.  
> **username_4**: See the [Horizons Web-Interface](https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi), which "provides access to key solar system data and flexible production of highly accurate ephemerides for solar system objects (1110478 asteroids, 3743 comets, 209 planetary satellites, 8 planets, the Sun, L1, L2, select spacecraft, and system barycenters)". The freely available Horizons data spans 9999 BC to 9999 AD.  
> **username_4**: However, there are [limitations](https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?horizons_doc#mb): "System barycenters are available over longer time-spans than planet-centers because planet-centers are defined by satellite solutions. These satellite solutions are based on shorter data arcs than the entire system and can therefore be extrapolated only over shorter time-spans. For example, the planet Jupiter (599) might be available over the interval 1600-2500, while the Jupiter system barycenter (5) is available over 9999 B.C. to A.D. 9999."  

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## 0 answers

