Tropical Year
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Tropical Year
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The period of one revolution
of the earth around the sun, with respect to the vernal
equinox. Because of precession of the equinoxes, the tropical year is not
360 degrees with respect to the stars, but 50 minutes 0.3 seconds less. A
tropical year is about 20 minutes shorter than a sidereal year, averaging 365
days 5 hours 48 minutes 45.68 seconds in 1955 and is increasing at the rate of
0.005305 second annually. Also called astronomical, equinoctial, natural,
or solar year.
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References
This article is based on NASA's Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use
