similar code!

[RobinHirst11]

hello! this isn't really an issue, but it appears we have similar ideas! i displayed the stardate (original series) on a website instead:

https://robinhirst11.github.io/stardate

[j-elliot-0]

oh nice! I like your implementation! yeah I wrote my little version in like 2012/2013 I think? was like one of the few non-uni-project things I ever coded LMAO, alas it was another life, like tears in the rain...... I just decided to upload it here when I found it again on a whim so it is quite a pleasant surprise to see it get any attention and it's fun seeing other people having the same idea! how do you calculate the date number on yours?

[RobinHirst11]

I chose July 15th, 1987 as the origin point for my stardate calculations, which is a common reference point for Star Trek stardates.

First, I get the difference in milliseconds between the current time and that origin point. To convert that to a stardate, I divide by the number of milliseconds in a day and then adjust for the approximate length of a Star Trek year, which is 0.036525 of an Earth year. This accounts for the fact that Star Trek years are slightly shorter than Earth years.

Finally, I add a constant offset of 41000 to align with the general range of stardates seen in the Star Trek universe. Dividing by 10 at the end scales the stardate to a more familiar format.

[j-elliot-0]

oh wow that's really cool!! I didn't know about that 1987 reference date, it take it it's something to do with the original airdate/production of The Next Generation?

[RobinHirst11]

July 15th, 1987, is significant because it's close to the air date of the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It's become a common reference point for stardate calculations in fan communities and resources. I found it helpful to align my calculations with that convention