Imperial year

From Lexicanum

Imperial Year

The Imperium keeps track of the date using a calendar system based on the old calendar, making all dates in effect 'anno domini'. The date is a series of numbers, beginning with the check number, the year segment, the year, and finally the millennium. The check number is the first digit of a year and is a number from 0-9. For example, the check number in the year 0991345/M41 is the number 0, which signifies that the event in question happened on Terra or in the Sol system.

For check numbers 0-1 means that the event happened on Terra or in the Sol system, 2 means that the event occurred while someone present for the event was in direct psychic contact with Terra or the Sol system, 3 means that an individual or organization present was in psychic contact with a 2 source while the event occurred, 4 means that the individual or organization was in contact with a 3 OR 2 source, 5 means that the individual or organization was in contact with a 4 source, 6 means that the individual or organization was in contact with a 5 source.

7, 8, and 9 class sources are somewhat subjective. A 7 means that the event in question occurred within 10 years of the date listed in the rest of the Imperial date, and a 8 means that the event occurred within 20 years of the date. A 9 class source is special. A 9-class source is an approximated date, and is usually used when recording a date within Warp travel or while on a planet that does not use the Imperial system.

The next 3 digits of the year is the year fraction. An Imperial year is divided into 1000 equal sections, from 000 to 999. This part of the year is not usually noted by citizens of the Imperial, it is primarily used by the Administratum. In our example, 0991345/M41, the year fraction is the segment 991, and means that the year is almost over.

The next 3 digits of the year is the actual year. With our example, 0991345/M41, this is the segment 345. This, combined with the next segment, tells us the year, in this case, the 345th year of the 41st millennium, translating to the year 40345.

Finally, the last section names the millennium of the year in question. In our example, this is M41, meaning the forty-first millennium. This section may be preceded by a period, a full stop or an oblique.

For a slightly more complete but less user-friendly article on the Imperial Dating System, see Imperial Dating System.