[time-nuts] What time is it anyway?

[Bob Camp]

Hi

Traditionally USNO is the keeper of "legal time". NIST is the keeper of "legal frequency". Because of the earlier reference  to "solar time", they actually kept a regular schedule of observations of the sun going in Washington. They were running them  at least into the 1990's. If I remember correctly, the telescope they used dated to around 1880. 

I would bet that if you went deep enough into the details, that the Army at some point was less than enthusiastic about having to ask the Navy when ever they wanted to know what time it was.

Bob

On Mar 27, 2010, at 8:17 AM, Mike S wrote:

> At 11:31 PM 3/26/2010, Eric Fort wrote...
>> What time is it?
>> Why is that the correct time?
>> How does one know what the correct time is?
>> Is the "proper and correct" time reference codified as statue? (thinking of
>> the US) Where?
> 
> 15 USC Sec. 261: "For the purpose of establishing the standard time of the United States, the territory of the United States shall be divided into nine zones in the manner provided in this section. Except as provided in section 260a(a) of this title, the standard time of the first zone shall be Coordinated Universal Time retarded by 4 hours;...the term "Coordinated Universal Time" means the time scale maintained through the General Conference of Weights and Measures and interpreted or modified for the United States by the Secretary of Commerce in coordination with the Secretary of the Navy."
> 
> Prior to 1997, it was "based on the mean solar time of ... Greenwich," so older references may have it incorrect. 
> 
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