FACTS ABOUT THE EARTH, THE SUN AND TELLING TIME LONGITUDE AND TIME FACTS ABOUT THE EARTH, THE SUN AND TELLING TIME

The Earth turns or rotates on its axis once every 24 hours The rotation is counter clockwise (from west to east) In 24 hours the Earth rotates 360°, therefore the Earth rotates 15 ° every hour (360 ° / 24 hours = 15 °) Each 15 ° of longitude on a map stands for 1 hour of time

The Prime Meridian (Greenwich Meridian) found at 0 ° is the starting line for telling time on Earth If it is 12:00 noon on the Prime Meridian, it will be 11:00 a.m. on all the places 15 ° West line of longitude, 10:00 a.m. on all places 30 °W line and so on until the 180 ° line of longitude (International Date Line)

If it is 12:00 noon on the P. M. , it will be 1:00 p. m If it is 12:00 noon on the P.M., it will be 1:00 p.m. on all places on the 15 ° line of longitude, and so on until the 180 ° line As people travel from 1 area or zone to another, they “lose” or “gain” an hour of time depending on whether they are going East or West Time zones sometimes have irregular lines to avoid dividing communities or states

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