Daylight Saving
- Thread starter gostman07
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mezz
Well-known member
It is called "Daylight Saving Time". The idea behind it when we "Spring Forward" is to have more early evening light hours, thus saving on electricity useage with lighting & appliances. I believe this was originally the idea of Ben Franklin. I suspect that the time is reverted back as the daylight hours become less as we head toward winter.-Mezz
mezz
Well-known member
Yamadoo, you must put in some long friggin day's man. During the summer, it doesn't get dark until 10, 10:30 p.m., at least here in the Keweenaw that is the case. Once we get off of daylight saving time, it is dark by 6:30 p.m.
We are not saving light now as the daylight hours are growing shorter as we head toward the blissful season, winter.-Mezz
We are not saving light now as the daylight hours are growing shorter as we head toward the blissful season, winter.-Mezz
As with almost everything else the time zones are influenced by politics.
The center of each time zone is some integral multiple of 15° west of the Greenwich meridian (0°) and each time zone should ideally extend an equal distance east and west of that center meridian.
The center of the Eastern time zone is at 75° W longitude (or about 9 miles east of Philadelphia), and the center of the Central time zone is at 90° W longitude (or 3.5 miles east of Memphis, TN and 3 miles east of Bessemer, MI.)
So in fact all of Michigan is closer to the 90° meridian than the 75° meridian (by about 42.6 miles as measured from Port Huron, and all the more so for the western end of da UP).
Thus the entire state of Michigan would more logically belong in the Central time zone. Except for the usual "political considerations". Observing Eastern time in the Keweenaw tends to make sunset appear "later" in the day than it should.
Of course the relatively northern latitude of the Keweenaw (at the northernmost point of the Keweenaw, about 4.25 miles west of Copper Harbor, 47° 28' 50" N latitude) also contributes to the late sunsets in the summer. Heck, far enough north (above the Arctic Circle (66° 33' 39" N latitude) and you'd have 24 hours of sunlight in the summer!
The center of each time zone is some integral multiple of 15° west of the Greenwich meridian (0°) and each time zone should ideally extend an equal distance east and west of that center meridian.
The center of the Eastern time zone is at 75° W longitude (or about 9 miles east of Philadelphia), and the center of the Central time zone is at 90° W longitude (or 3.5 miles east of Memphis, TN and 3 miles east of Bessemer, MI.)
So in fact all of Michigan is closer to the 90° meridian than the 75° meridian (by about 42.6 miles as measured from Port Huron, and all the more so for the western end of da UP).
Thus the entire state of Michigan would more logically belong in the Central time zone. Except for the usual "political considerations". Observing Eastern time in the Keweenaw tends to make sunset appear "later" in the day than it should.
Of course the relatively northern latitude of the Keweenaw (at the northernmost point of the Keweenaw, about 4.25 miles west of Copper Harbor, 47° 28' 50" N latitude) also contributes to the late sunsets in the summer. Heck, far enough north (above the Arctic Circle (66° 33' 39" N latitude) and you'd have 24 hours of sunlight in the summer!
G
G
Guest
So there.
booondocker
New member
I think I recall some cities like Marquette were once "keeping" central time, and then switching back to eastern at some point.
Michigan is one of about 10 states that has split time zone, as most states opt to keep the same time zone as their state capital is in, notable exception to n & s Dakota Nebraska and Kansas which only have sliver ends that opted to go mountain time rather than central time zone. Usually those areas that opted out are closer to cities with a different time zone than ones in the same state with the same time zone.
Even Alaska as big as it is, sits in one time zone with exception of a tiny bit of the Aleutians.
Michigan is one of about 10 states that has split time zone, as most states opt to keep the same time zone as their state capital is in, notable exception to n & s Dakota Nebraska and Kansas which only have sliver ends that opted to go mountain time rather than central time zone. Usually those areas that opted out are closer to cities with a different time zone than ones in the same state with the same time zone.
Even Alaska as big as it is, sits in one time zone with exception of a tiny bit of the Aleutians.