[at-l] ever

[Steve Miller]

Having crossed the IDL seven times in the past year, I have to side with 
Camo on this one.  When it is noon on the IDL (180 degrees longitude), 
it is midnight on the Prime Meridian through England.  At that moment, 
Europe is in the new day, but North America is still in the old day.

Theoretically speaking, as midnight "approaches" the IDL from the east, 
more and more of the world is on the same day until the moment it 
reaches the IDL, when we all are on the same day.  As it moves west, a 
new day begins west of the IDL.

An interesting tool called Sunclock from Mapmaker.com lets you advance 
time to see what day/time it is and will be anywhere.

Of course, the true IDL wiggles its way around the 180 meridian, keeping 
the eastern tip of Russia in the same day as the rest, and the western 
most islands of Alaska in the same day as Juneau, among other examples.  
Because of this wandering IDL, the reality is that it is never truly the 
same day everywhere in the world. 

Steve "Up to Somethin'"
"Does anybody really know what time it is?"
"Does anybody really care?"

Jim Bullard wrote:
> Nope. Only at _noon_ on the IDL, AM on the West side and PM on the 
> East side. At midnight on the IDL it is one day on one side and 
> another on the other side (the day changes at midnight and the IDL is 
> the official point where it changes). The "new day" then moves around 
> the world from there. Aside from a millisecond at noon on the IDL it 
> is another day somewhere in the world by whatever tiny increment of 
> time you care to divide the day into. Look fast or you'll miss it.
>
> On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 8:22 AM, <camojack at comcast.net 
> <mailto:camojack at comcast.net>> wrote:
>
>     Yes, when it's midnight on the International Date Line. Why?
>     -"Camo"
>
>      -------------- Original message ----------------------
>     From: Felix J <AThiker at smithville.net <mailto:AThiker at smithville.net>>
>     > Is it ever the same day everywhere?
>     >
>     >
>     > --
>     > Felix J. McGillicuddy
>     > ME-->GA '98
>     > "Your Move"
>     > ALT '03 KT '03
>     > http://Felixhikes.tripod.com/
>
>
> -- 
> Jim Bullard
> http://jims-ramblings.blogspot.com/
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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