International Conference Held at Washington for the Purpose of Fixing a Prime Meridian and a Universal Day. October, 1884. eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 237 pages of information about International Conference Held at Washington for the Purpose of Fixing a Prime Meridian and a Universal Day. October, 1884..

International Conference Held at Washington for the Purpose of Fixing a Prime Meridian and a Universal Day. October, 1884. eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 237 pages of information about International Conference Held at Washington for the Purpose of Fixing a Prime Meridian and a Universal Day. October, 1884..
8. That the Cosmic Day be divided into hours, numbered in a single series, one to twenty-four, (1 to 24,) and that the hours be subdivided, as ordinary hours, into minutes and seconds.  Note.—­As an alternative means of distinguishing the cosmic hours from the hours in local reckonings, they may be denoted by the letters of the alphabet, which, omitting I and V, are twenty-four in number.
9. That until Cosmic Time be admitted as the recognized means of reckoning in the ordinary affairs of life, it is advisable to assimilate the system to present usages and to provide for the easy translation of local reckonings into Cosmic Time, and vice versa; that, therefore, in theory, and as closely as possible in practice, local reckonings be based on a known interval in advance or behind Cosmic Time.

     10. That the surface of the globe be divided by twenty-four
     equidistant hour meridians, corresponding with the hours of
     the Cosmic Day.

11. That, as far as practicable, the several hour meridians be taken according to the longitude of the locality, to regulate local reckonings, in a manner similar to the system in use throughout North America.
12. That, in all cases where an hour meridian is adopted as the standard for regulating local reckonings, in a particular section or district, the civil day shall be held to commence twelve hours before and end twelve hours after the mean solar passage of such hour meridian.
13. That the civil day, based on the Prime Meridian of Greenwich, shall coincide and be one with the Cosmic Day.  That civil days on meridians east of Greenwich shall be (according to the longitude) a known number of hours, or hours and minutes in advance of Cosmic Time, and to the west of Greenwich the contrary.
14. That the surface of the globe being divided by twenty-four equidistant meridians (fifteen degrees apart) corresponding with the hours of the Cosmic Day, it is advisable that longitude be reckoned according to these hour meridians.

     15. That divisions of longitude less than an hour (fifteen
     degrees) be reckoned in minutes and seconds and parts of
     seconds.

     16. That longitude be reckoned continuously towards the
     west, beginning with zero at the Anti-prime meridian, twelve
     hours from Greenwich.

     17. That longitude, generally, be denoted by the same terms
     as those applied to Cosmic Time.

I submit these recommendations suggestively, and without any desire unduly to press them.  I shall be content if the leading principles laid down be recognized by the Conference.

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International Conference Held at Washington for the Purpose of Fixing a Prime Meridian and a Universal Day. October, 1884. from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.