Dragaera

Time and longitude

Tue Feb 15 09:29:02 PST 2005

Mark Landin wrote:
> On Tue, 15 Feb 2005 08:30:01 -0800, Shawn Burns <s1burns at ucsd.edu> wrote:
> 
>>
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: Chris Turkel [mailto:zizban at adelphia.net]
>>>Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2005 6:15 AM
>>>To: <dragaera at dragaera.info> <dragaera at dragaera.info>
>>>Subject: Re: Time and longitude
>>>
>>>
>>>On Feb 15, 2005, at 9:11 AM, Jeff G. wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>>From: "John Oliver" <oliver at astro.ufl.edu>
>>>>To: "Dragaera (E-mail)" <dragaera at dragaera.info>
>>>>Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2005 6:08 AM
>>>>Subject: Time and longitude
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>When the Orb has been active, citizens "know" the time
>>>
>>>based on the
>>>
>>>>>master Imperial Clock.  If Dragaera is a spherical planet,
>>>
>>>then local
>>>
>>>>>time (i.e. dawn, dusk) will vary with longitude around the planet.
>>>>>Thus
>>>>>a more eastern location might already be in daytime at the seventh
>>>>>hour of the morning (by the Orb), while a much more
>>>
>>>western location
>>>
>>>>>might still be in darkness.
>>>>>My question is: "Does this show up in the books?"
>>>>>--
>>>>>John Oliver
>>>>>Associate Professor
>>>>>Associate Chair
>>>>>Department of Astronomy
>>>>>University of Florida
>>>>>Project AST at RHO http://astrho.astro.ufl.edu see the night sky at
>>>>>http://concam.net/rh/
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Well, it's an assumption, but here goes. Drageareans are
>>>
>>>aware of the
>>>
>>>>difference in "time zones", I believe Lady Teldra mentions formula
>>>>developed
>>>>to ascertain the time in different locals. The Orb knows
>>>
>>>the location
>>>
>>>>of
>>>>every person linked to it. I would guess that it translates
>>>
>>>the local
>>>
>>>>time
>>>>for anyone that asks. So, no, it is not stated directly,
>>>
>>>but neither
>>>
>>>>is it
>>>>contradicted.
>>>>
>>>>Jeff G.
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>We don't really know much about the size of the planet or the
>>>continent
>>>Drageara is on, except for something like its "The same general shape
>>>as Europe but four times larger, of which the Empire covers about
>>>half". That's big so they must have timezones figured out by now.
>>
>>Timezones are necessary (read:
>>"convenient") when the light we get is from the sun, so that at different
>>times there is light vs. no light at the extremes; but what about with the
>>Overcast? Maybe it diffuses the light of the sun eough that there is little
>>noticeable difference at the same time in the east and west. So the farmer
>>in the west gets up at 6 on the Imperial clock and has only slightly less
>>light to work with than the farmer in the east who gets up at that same
>>time.
> 
> 
> Farmers are a bad example. They get up when it's light enough to work
> and quit when they can't see anymore, whether's that's 6:00 AM or 4:00
> AM or 13:00 midnight.
> 
> The other serious need for accurate timekeeping is naval navigation.
> Are Dragaerans serious sea-folk?

The House of Orca must be I would think.
-- 
John Oliver
Associate Professor
Associate Chair
Department of Astronomy
University of Florida
Project AST at RHO http://astrho.astro.ufl.edu
see the night sky at http://concam.net/rh/