[LEAPSECS] Schedule for success

[Rob Seaman]

Tony Finch wrote:


> On Mon, 22 Dec 2008, Rob Seaman wrote:

>>

>> 	No.  We have been using mean solar time formally since the 19th

>> century, and informally since we woke each morning to light shining  

>> through

>> the entrance of the cave.

>

> Apparent solar time is not mean solar time. Remember that for a lot of

> history we used rubber hours that varied according to the time between

> sunrise and sunset. Mean solar time cannot be established without

> reasonably accurate clocks.


Either you haven't read this message yet:

	http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/leapsecs/2008-December/000714.html

or I've yet again failed to make my point.

Mother Earth "establishes" mean solar time simply by spinning on its  
axis and orbiting the sun.  Apparent solar time is a mere happenstance  
of angles.  Rates matter more than offsets.

Rob