View source for Avalon Standard Calendar


{{Unofficial}}

== Structure ==
The Avalon Standard Calendar was the official calendar system of the [[Illuminate Republic]] and now of the [[Avalon Alliance]]. It splits each year (one full orbit around [[Solakku]]), on Avalon into 895 days. This is equal to ~13 Earth-years and ~128 Earth-hours per day. These days are then organized into 20 seasons, of which 15 are 45 days long, and 5 are 44 days long. It is every third month which is only 44 days long, with the first instance of this being the third month of the year.

For everyday scheduling, there is also a division into 12 day long cycles, a number roughly based on the conjunction of Avalon and Mov. Every seasons is about 3.75 cycles long, but seasons and cycles are not forced to be aligned, making the behavior similar to how weeks are not aligned to months in the Gregorian calendar.

Year 0, Day 0 was defined as being the day the rule of law for the first Illuminate nation was signed, even though the calendar was not introduced until centuries after the fact, and made the official calendar of the Republic much later in 309. Years before this day are simply expressed as negative numbers.

Due to Avalon’s movement around Solakku, its Sidereal period is ever so slightly shorter than its true rotation period, leading to a continuous buildup of error in time measurement, which eventually needs to be corrected by inserting an additional day in the year. These leap years occur on every even-numbered year and turn the first 44-day long season of that year into a 45-day long season.

Written dates are formatted as <code>[day of season], [season] [year]</code> in the most compact form, for example: 23rd, 5th 505. But another commonly used format is <code>[day of cycle].[cycle of season], [season] [year]</code>, for example: 10.2 3rd 497.

== Modern use ==
As this calendar is based around the orbits of specifically Avalon and [[Valaya]], it is of little use for nations existing on other planets or moons, which have tended over time to develop their own calendars. The Avalon Standard Calendar is still used within all territories of the Avalon Alliance, and some other nations, however. It is also to be used in all standard communication within the [[Solakkian Union]], and all official recordkeeping and by historians.

Spacecraft, space stations and other habitats which need to establish an artificial day/night cycle also tend to simulate Avalon’s day length, and as such use the Avalon Standard Calendar.