We are now under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 which changes the date of the end of DST from the last Sunday in October (under the Uniform Time Act of 1966) to the first Sunday in November.  As a footnote to this, realize that many electronic devices are programmed in accordance with the 1966 law.  Thus, when we change on November 2 many of our VCR’s, computers, digital clocks, etc., will not automatically adjust for the change since they will still be programmed to change on the last Sunday in October; they will be a week early in changing to back to Standard Time.

Some people get a bit confused by all this thinking that somehow we really “save” time or, on the other hand, lose it when we change back.  But realize that this is NOT an astronomical phenomenon!  The “lucky ‘ol Sun just keeps rollin’ along” no matter what the US Congress declares.  All we are doing is simple shifting our clocks within the solar day to suit our own convenience and save energy.

By the way, when you get up at 2 a.m. on November 2 to change your clocks, walk outside.  Look high in the southeast and note that handsome guy Orion standing tall with the dog star Sirius, the brightest star in the nighttime sky, following.  These are the winter skies!!  Time is surely moving on.

About PARI
The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) is a not-for-profit foundation established in 1998.  Located in the Pisgah Forest 30 miles southwest of Asheville, NC, the PARI campus is a dark sky location for astronomy and was selected in 1962 by NASA as the east coast tracking station for manned space flights.  Today, the 200 acre campus houses radio and optical telescopes, earth science instruments, 30 buildings, a fulltime staff and all the infrastructure necessary to support STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education and research.  PARI offers educational programs at all levels, from K-12 through post-graduate research.  The institute is affiliated with the 16-campus University of North Carolina system through PARSEC, a UNC Center hosted at PARI, and is a member of the NC Grassroots Museum Collaborative.  For more information about PARI and its programs, visit www.pari.edu.