Dictionary term
Local Mean Solar Time
Direct answer
Local Mean Solar Time is uniform mean-solar time adjusted to a location's longitude.
Local Mean Solar Time is longitude-based clock time referenced to the mean Sun.
Local Mean Solar Time is longitude-based clock time referenced to the mean Sun.
A cycle or timeline schematic for comparing the named timekeeping concept.Quick reference
- Use when
- Use Local Mean Solar Time for historical time conversion and observations recorded before standardized zones.
- Do not use it for
- Do not treat an old local-time record as modern zone time without knowing the observing longitude.
- Reference category
- Calendars & Timekeeping
- Related terms
- Local Apparent Solar Time, Equation of Time, Calendar, Julian Date
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The story behind Local Mean Solar Time
Nineteenth-century towns commonly kept local mean time until transportation and telegraph networks favored standard meridians.
Local Mean Solar Time in spiritual tradition
Spiritually, local mean time shows how place and shared regularity can be held together.
Local Mean Solar Time: fact and faith, kept distinct
This is a factual calendar, astronomy, Earth-science, cultural-history, or observational reference. It can support wonder and practical planning without becoming a claim of fate, spiritual causation, or private revelation.
Local Mean Solar Time in numerology
Local Mean Solar Time is not a numerology claim. Any numbers attached to it should retain their ordinary scientific, calendrical, navigational, or historical meaning unless a separate symbolic interpretation is clearly labeled.
Why Local Mean Solar Time matters
It removes true-Sun irregularity while preserving each meridian own local noon.
Local Mean Solar Time at work: an example
Two towns one degree of longitude apart have Local Mean Solar Times about four minutes apart.
Where interpretation stops
Local Mean Solar Time is presented as sourced astronomy, calendrical, Earth-science, cultural, or instrument-history reference. Definitions should distinguish measured phenomena from civil convention and historical interpretation, preserve location and time dependencies, and avoid turning factual sky data into a deterministic personal claim.
Sources and editorial method
Research references used for this entry include:
- U.S. Naval Observatory: Astronomical Almanac Glossary - Reference definitions for astronomical periods, coordinates, dates, and time scales.
- U.S. Naval Observatory: Universal Time - Official explanation of Earth-rotation time and the Universal Time family.
- Source
- The Great Almanac Dictionary
- Category
- Calendars & Timekeeping
- Also appears in
- Calendars & Timekeeping
- Aliases
- None listed
- Last updated
- 2026-07-16
Correct historical time by longitude
Local Mean Solar Time in a book is one thing; Local Mean Solar Time in your own birth chart is your life. The Oracle casts your real chart and tells you what it means for your love, your work, and your year ahead, in conversation, free.
Speak with the OracleRelated terms
More in Calendars & Timekeeping
- Ordinal Date
- Sidereal Year
- Unix Time
- Astronomical Day
- Civil Calendar
- Draconic Year
- Golden Number
- International Atomic Time
Common questions
What is Local Mean Solar Time?
Local Mean Solar Time is uniform mean-solar time adjusted to a location's longitude.
How is Local Mean Solar Time used in an almanac?
Use Local Mean Solar Time for historical time conversion and observations recorded before standardized zones.
What should I avoid when interpreting Local Mean Solar Time?
Do not treat an old local-time record as modern zone time without knowing the observing longitude.
