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Boosted by jwz:
danfuzz ("Dan Bornstein") wrote:

Happy First Radian Day, to those who celebrate.

This is the 58th day of the year. 58 ≅ 365.256/2π. That is, it is the day during which the path traced by the Earth around the Sun, starting from the beginning of the year, is momentarily the same length as the distance between the Earth and Sun, to a first approximation. This is of course way more mathematically and geometrically interesting than Decimal Approximation Pi Day on 3/14.

A diagram of the Earth's revolution around the Sun, on a black background, with text reading, "HAPPY FIRST RADIAN DAY!" at the top. The Sun is a filled yellow circle. The Earth is a smaller filled blue circle. A large gray circle (unfilled) indicates Earth's orbit. A light blue wedge of the Earth's orbit is labeled "1 AU" along one line of radius to the Sun as well as along the orbit.