Hi Fellows
My friend Miguel was very enthusiastic with all those answers and ask me
to transcribe:
"Thank you very much for answering my questions, Mr Taylor in particular
for his simphathy. But let me rescue my dear frind Doret from the realm of
the broken hearted into wich he has been unduly cast before the sundial
community. It is fact I, his friend, who have betrayed myself as having
fallen prey to lover's snares.Anyway, the first question concerning
sidereal time won't keep me awake anymore, Switching to it migh make life
more interesting in a number of ways. As to the date problem, if I rightly
understand James, Cabral, Bel Murru, Bell, Chuck and Arthur, these are two
datelines, one of which fixed at midnight and the other(the IDL) 180º
opposite Greenwich that erases the old day as it moves along, so when the
two overlap the entire globe is on the same date. And finally, if I may,
another question: why is the visible face of the moon so heavy pockmarked
with meteors craters? When we see it at night, it has it back turned to the
outer solar system and the asteroid belt, and during the rest of the cycle
it is shielded by the earth and it's gravitational field. Maybe an ancient
high-tech Nero character amused himself takink starwarspotshots at the
poor thing ?
Miguel "
Sergio Doret
Nova Friburgo, RJ Brasil
22º 18'S 42º 32'W
http://www.alternex.com.br/~sdoret
