Book 18, Question 43
What Time Is It at the North Pole?
At the North Pole, all the time zones meet, so there is no official local time there! Research stations simply choose one that is convenient. Let's check the clock.
More fun facts
- All 24 of Earth's time zones meet at a single point at the North Pole.
- That means the North Pole is in every time zone at once, and in none of them.
- There the Sun rises and sets just once a year, so the usual idea of morning and evening does not fit.
- During a big Arctic research trip, the ship Polarstern changed its clock time more than a dozen times.
- Its captain once moved the clocks back one hour every week for six weeks to match Russian ships that used Moscow time.
- Two ships parked side by side near the pole were still in different time zones.
- In Antarctica, most research stations simply use a time zone that matches the home country that built them.
Sources: Scientific American
Questions kids ask
Why is time hard to keep track of at the North Pole?
There is no land, no people nearby and no daily sunrise, so ships pick whatever clock time is most useful.