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Hey there! Have you ever wondered why it is breakfast time for you, but bedtime for your friends across the world? Let's explore how our spinning Earth creates different times!
As Earth spins, the Sun can only shine on one side of our planet at a time. This means when it is bright day on one side, it is dark night on the opposite side.
To keep life organized, we divide the world into 24 vertical slices called time zones. Each time zone is usually one hour apart from its neighbor, matching the 24 hours in a full day.
Because Earth spins from west to east, places in the east see the sun first. As you travel east, you move ahead in time, but as you travel west, you go back in time.
Imagine your cousin lives in London, which is 5 hours ahead of your home in New York. If it is 2:00 PM in New York, what time is it for your cousin in London?
- Identify your starting point and time: New York is at 2:00 PM.
- Find the time difference: London is 5 hours ahead of New York.
- Determine the direction: Since London is ahead, we need to add hours to our current time.
- Count forward 5 hours from 2:00 PM: 3:00 PM, 4:00 PM, 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM, and finally 7:00 PM.
- Conclude that it is 7:00 PM in London, just in time for your cousin's dinner!