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The Earth "day" of exactly 24 hours is the "mean solar day"

"Mean" is basically a scientific way of saying "average". It's called a "solar day " because it's based on the position of the Sun in the sky.

There are natural variations in the length of the solar day because of the Earth's elliptical orbit and axial tilt.

The "mean solar day" averages out the variations that happen during the year.

This makes things much more convenient for everyday life.

"Mean solar time" is based on the "mean solar day".

The "apparent solar day" is the what we actually observe, and its length varies from day to day.

A sundial measures "apparent solar time". We can convert this time to mean solar time by using something called "the equation of time".

Actually, the sundial shows "local apparent solar time".

That's because the time shown by a sundial depends on its exact longitude.

For convenience, mean solar time has time zones (based on longitude).

So, longitude also affects the relationship between these two

measures of time.

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What is equation of time?

the distance between the solar time i.e Mean time apparent solar time is stated as equation of time. M.t-A.t=equation of time


Why is apparent solar time not used to measure on a clock?

Because, when using "apparent solar time", the length of a "solar day" varies slightly during the year. (This is because the Earth's orbit isn't exactly circular and the Earth's axis is tilted.) "Clock time" is based on an average (or "mean") of these day lengths, called the "mean solar day". So clocks use "mean solar time". (By coincidence, on the date the question was answered (14th April) "apparent solar time" and 'clock' time are synchronised.) There's another reason for apparent solar time being different from clock time. "Clock time" uses time zones. So, over a wide area, the time on a clock equals the "mean solar time" at a particular, defining, longitude.


Why is apparent solar time used to measure time on a clock?

Because, when using "apparent solar time", the length of a "solar day" varies slightly during the year. (This is because the Earth's orbit isn't exactly circular and the Earth's axis is tilted.) "Clock time" is based on an average (or "mean") of these day lengths, called the "mean solar day". So clocks use "mean solar time". (By coincidence, on the date the question was answered (14th April) "apparent solar time" and 'clock' time are synchronised.) There's another reason for apparent solar time being different from clock time. "Clock time" uses time zones. So, over a wide area, the time on a clock equals the "mean solar time" at a particular, defining, longitude.


Are there different types of solar time?

It very much depends on what is meant by solar time. Not really, it's fairly clear. There are 2 types of solar time: 1) "Apparent solar time". At any particular place this is called the "local apparent solar time", because it depends on longitude. 2) "Mean solar time". This averages out the natural variations of "apparent solar time". (The word "mean" is just a way of saying "average".) This too is depends on longitude of course, but time zones are used to cover a wide area, for convenience.


What is the Relationship between time and longitude?

Since the Earth rotates at a steady rate of 360° per day, or 15° per hour (in mean solar time), there is a direct relationship between time and longitude. If the navigator knew the time at a fixed reference point when some event occurred at the ship's location, the difference between the reference time and the apparent local time would give the ship's position relative to the fixed location. Finding apparent local time is relatively easy. The problem, ultimately, was how to determine the time at a distant reference point while on a ship.


What is apparent solar time determined by?

Apparent solar time is determined by the position of the Sun in the sky, taking into account Earth's rotation and its elliptical orbit around the Sun. It is based on the Sun reaching its highest point in the sky at 12 noon, varying slightly throughout the year due to Earth's tilt and orbit.


What does horizonally mean?

The line that forms the apparent boundary between earth and sky.


What is a mean solar day?

It's the average length of the "apparent solar day" throughout the year, 24 hours exactly for planet Earth.


What does plutonic relationship mean?

I think you mean to say a "platonic" relationship. That is a relationship between two or more people that does not include any form of sexual aspect. For example, a relationship between two friends would be platonic, while a relationship between a boyfriend and girlfriend is not.


What is the relationship between Tegucigalpa and Honduras?

What do you mean by relationship? Tegucigalpa is the capital of Honduras.


How does the mean relate to the mode?

There is no direct relationship between the mean and mode.


What is an apparent solar day?

An apparent solar day is the time it takes for the Earth to complete one full rotation based on the position of the sun in the sky. It can vary slightly each day due to the Earth's elliptical orbit and axial tilt. This is different from a mean solar day, which is a consistent 24-hour period averaged over a year.