Solar calendar

From ArticleWorld

The solar calendar is a calendar system that uses the apparent or real rotation of the earth around the sun to measure time. The basic unit of the solar calendar is the solar year. There are two types of solar years. The sidereal year is measured in relation to the background stars, and dates are determined by the apparent position of the sun in relation to constellations and their respective zodiacal signs. In the tropical year, dates are determined in relation to the spring and fall equinoxes.

Sidereal calendars

The most well known sidereal solar calendar is the Hindu calendar. In this calendar, the 12 solar months are identified with one of six seasons, two months per season. Each month corresponds to a particular zodiac sign. The Hindu calendar also makes use of 12 lunar months.

Tropical calendars

The Gregorian calendar is the most common worldwide standard calendar used today. Like most solar calendars, it is both lunar and solar. The Gregorian calendar contains 12 lunar months of varying lengths, divided into four seasons. They are:

• January
• February
• March
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December

While some are named after mythical entities and ancient deities, these months have no correlation to the signs of the zodiac. Thus, the month of May is said to fall in late ‘’spring’’ and not in a particular “season” of the zodiac. However, in astrology, months do overlap with zodiacal signs, which are used to determine certain aspects of a person’s fate, character or potential depending on when this person is born. The Gregorian calendar was derived from the Julian calendar in the middle ages. Other Tropical solar calendars are the Coptic, Iranian and Bahá'i calendars