> Unfortunately, that puts Indiana at the western
> edge of the Eastern time zone. However, the line
> of demarcation has to be somewhere and where it is
> now is probably very close to being the right spot.
> Moving it back to the Ohio line, for example would
> not allow for enough time/earth rotation to pass
> before moving into a new time zone.
The dividing line between Eastern and Central time
should be 82.5 west longitude, which is just east
of CMH. The center of Central time is 90 degrees
and that is just west of BLV (Scott AFB, IL).
IND is 86 degrees and change, HUF is 87 and change,
so the OH/IN border is indeed closer to the "right
spot" than where the zone line actually is, since
I don't think OH wants to be in split time zones
as the last time they were was 1936.
This indicates (perhaps just to me and Jeff Sagarin)
that all of Indiana should be in the Central time
zone. Well, except maybe for those five pesky
renegade counties near CVG and SDF. IND at 86 degrees
is a lot farther (west) from the ET center of 75 than
it is (east) from the CT center of 90.
I believe it is four minutes per degree of longitude,
so to oversimplify, solar noon for IND is at 1244 EST,
1344 EDT, 1144 CST, 1244 CDT.
I will stipulate that IND would have winter sunsets
as early as 1620 CST, but also note that, thanks to
those wonderful Congressmen Upton and Markey and their
expando-matic DST beginning next year, IND will have
sunrises as late as 0819 EDT.
> If, only the Prime Meridian were moved from
> England to France (as the French originally
> demanded), it would solve everything.
Well, it's not going to be. (What, placate the
French? Surely you jest!) (Don't forget your
"don't call me Shirley" retort ;-) Even if it
was, Paris is only about two degrees longitude
east of London.