New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-26
STANDARD TINE AND ALMANAC PREDIC-
TIONS.

TO the Editor Of The Tribune.
SIR The adoption of standard time seems to
have caused earthquakes In fact, but for the news
papers, we should hardly have known that there had been
a change The sti rises and sets with its accustomed
regularity and in these rapidly shortening days we do
not recognize that the darkness four minutes
earlier than 1t used to- But 1t win not do to trust to the
amanacs prepared for local tme without understanding
how far their predictions VIII be affected by the adoption
OF the standard time The predictions in the almanac re-
latng TO time may be divided into two classes:
Firs-The predictions of the SUMS rising and setting
the moons rising and setting the time OF high water &c
In this class of cases we must allow for the difference be-
tween the standard time and the local time. That is In
New-York City and its meridian, all along the Hudson
River we must remember that all such occurrences take
place four minutes earlier than the almanac predicts Inc
rises four minutes earlier comes to the meridian io
minutes earlier and four minutes earlier In THIS
class OF is very seldom that few minutes error
of time viii be noticeable The sun seldom appears to
rise according to the almanac, because we seldom have
clear horizon and If had are seldom up to see IT,
And in these days, when people can buy watch for
song-sOme people could buy gross OF them for song
we do not regulate business affairs with regard TO tho
exact time of the suns rising or setting.
The second class OF cases consists Of predictions OF the
times Of ecpses ranss, OccultaOns, and similar phe-
nomena 1t ia in this class Of only that we need 10
know the exact time In all such the adoption OF
standard time sinpes the predictions wonderfully For
instance an eclipse of the moon when 1t passes
into tie ears shadow and is at the same moment
OF time wherever the itself Is visible In TINS years
almanac there IA long table OF the principal cities In the
United States with the various local times for the Deg
ming middle, and end OF the two ecllpses or the moon
Had the standard time been adopted II would only nave
been necessary predict that the moon enters the pen
umbra on April %, at four hours five minutes Eastern
standard tme which corresponds with three hours I'VE
minutes In COlOrado and these predictions would have
been accurate for every place where the Is visible
So with the predictions for the phenomena OF Jupters
satellites In eclpses OF the sum- transits and occu
atOns this applies only approximately, because these
phenomena do not at the same instant or TIME III
different places. Yet the variation OF time IN dlHerent
places il far less than the difference OF local time: In
transit Venus Mercury there would scarcely be any
variation In the last transit OF Venus for instance the
extreme variation for the United States would have Deen
about four Minutes In ecpses Of the sun, and in Occult
atoms by the moon IL Is necessary To make the cOmpu
atOn for the place of observation In order 10 secure any
accuracy in consequence OF the moons nearness 10 US;
yet even here the differences of time Will be nuch less
when gwen I'm standard time, and the error Will be cor
rcspondingy ess in estimating for any given place Dy
comparison Of the predictions Tor neighborng cities ON
the average the Will be only from 0neourth to one
tenth great in the use of local time predictions
This years amanacs OF relate wholly to local
time Nautical amanacs and probably many Others for
the coming year. have been already prepared, that the
chan e cannot be made in hem but as the stand
ard time be adopted In our almonacs we shall have
the advantage OF this greater facility In determining the
OF phenomena which are interesting to class
increasing with the progress Of intelligence ana sci
entihc knowledge. HENRY Nj. PARKHURsr
BTOOklgft, Dec. III, 1883.