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Avichal
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People tell 12am is midnight but then how is midnight defined? 12am must be defined with respect to some natural event like when Earth has rotated this much degrees or whatever. Anyone knows?
Midnight is the transition time period from one day to the next: the moment when the date changes. In the Roman time system, midnight was halfway between sunset and sunrise, varying according to the seasons.
Solar midnight is that time opposite of solar noon, when the sun is closest to nadir and the night is equidistant from dusk and dawn. Due to the advent of time zones, which make time identical across a range of meridians, and daylight saving time, it rarely coincides with midnight on a clock. Solar midnight is dependent on longitude and time of the year rather than on a time zone.
Midnight is roughly half the distance between sunrise and sunset, so simply build some form of measuring device and after the first night you'll know when midnight will be on the second. E.g. I started my homemade counter at sunset, at sunrise it registered X so tonight I'll know it's midnight when it reads 1/2X.Avichal said:Yes i always check wikipedia before PF. Actually my question is that if all the clocks and record of time is lost can we again resume? For example - we lost all clocks and its afternoon. How will we know if it is 2 or 3 pm?
That would work 'roughly', because, 12:00 don't always equal = (Sunrise-Sunset)/2Ryan_m_b said:Midnight is roughly half the distance between sunrise and sunset, so simply build some form of measuring device and after the first night you'll know when midnight will be on the second. E.g. I started my homemade counter at sunset, at sunrise it registered X so tonight I'll know it's midnight when it reads 1/2X.
Alternatively use a planisphere in reverse.
The reason it is roughly is because we have arbitrary time zones it can be two separate times for people on the same line of longitude and the same time for people in two different lattitudes. To work out true solar midnight would require knowing at what point the sun is at nadir.I_am_learning said:That would work 'roughly', because, 12:00 don't always equal = (Sunrise-Sunset)/2
Just for the sake of knowledge, I would like to ask, is there a way to do that with extreme precision?
12 AM stands for 12 o'clock in the morning, also known as midnight.
12 AM is technically the beginning of the day, as it marks the start of a new 24-hour cycle. However, many people also consider it the end of the previous day since it is the last hour before 1 AM.
12 AM and 12 PM are both times that represent 12 o'clock, but they are on opposite ends of the day. 12 AM is midnight, while 12 PM is noon.
In the 24-hour time format, 12 AM is often written as 00:00 to avoid confusion with 12 PM, which is written as 12:00. This format is commonly used in military and international timekeeping.
In most cases, yes. However, some people may use 12 AM to refer to the beginning of the day, especially in countries where the 24-hour time format is not commonly used. It is always best to clarify with the person using the term to avoid confusion.