MtnDon
(Don Miller)
31
Something I have never heard anyone specifically mention is how many minutes difference there are between the sunrise and sunset times at the east and west boundaries of the same time zone.
For example, in the Mountain Time Zone here in the US, there is a difference of 50 minutes between West Wendover, UT and Burlington, Colorado (west and east sides of Mtn Time at pretty much the same latitude). The folks in Burlington, CO are already seeing the sun almost an hour earlier than those in West Wendover, UT, but both are using the same clock time. Sunrise 6:26 AM (east side) and 7:16 AM today (west side)
Add to that the fact that sunrise and sunset are also influenced by one’s latitude. The farther north the earlier the sun rises in summer than down in NM or further south. So nothing is going to make everyone happy all the time. And not everyone in one location may be happy all year round if the clock gets set to the same standard all year.
It is the switching back and forth that bugs me. It is especially awkward when neighboring Arizona does not observe DST except for the Navajo Nation. But the Hopi Nation does NOT observe DST like the rest of AZ; never mind the that the Hopi Nation is entirely surrounded by the Navajo Nation.
Leave the clocks alone and go with the average that was set in the 1800’s. Mankind has a sketchy record of making changes in the natural world without having unintended consequences.
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