Empty meridian transit time
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- Python
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Description
Hi, I'm building a visual observing planner and I'm trying to get meridian transit times. For DSOs and planets I'm getting no issues, but if I try creating a `FixedTarget` from the `SkyCoord` returned by astropy's `get_body` (like I do for the planets), I get a wrong transit time. So researching, I found astroplan uses a special target for the Moon: `MoonFlag`, and replacing the `FixedTarget` with `MoonFlag` I got the right result (at least for tonight). But testing another date, it would return and empty `Time` object. Here's a sample code to reproduce the problem:
```
import astropy.units as u
from astroplan import Observer
from astropy.time import Time
from astroplan.target import MoonFlag
place = Observer(latitude=40.41*u.deg,
longitude=-3.7*u.deg,
elevation=650*u.m,
name='Madrid',
timezone='Europe/Madrid')
t = Time('2025-06-11 00:14:21.664266')
meridian_time = place.target_meridian_transit_time(t, MoonFlag)
# Should be the 10th at 23:56 UTC
print(meridian_time) # Returns empty
t = Time('2025-01-10 00:14:21.664266') # Tonight for example
meridian_time = place.target_meridian_transit_time(t, MoonFlag)
print(meridian_time) # Gives correct result
```
What could be the reason? Thank you very much.
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Research direction
Start by running the two provided examples and tracing Observer.target_meridian_transit_time with MoonFlag. Inspect the MoonFlag transit calculation and its handling of the June 2025 date; done means it returns the expected non-empty transit time for both examples.
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Assessment
- Tech stack
- python
- Domain
- backend
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 3/5
- Estimated time
- 1-2 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 35/100