Why the directions differ
From above Antarctica, the Earth turns clockwise. From above the Arctic, the same rotation appears anticlockwise. These are two viewpoints of one planet at one instant.
The Turning Earth
Twin Poles: two poles, one spin
Watch both poles at once: the same Earth turns clockwise beneath the Southern Cross and anticlockwise beneath Polaris. Replay 31 March 2026 to watch every sky hand point straight up at its own midnight.
The Earth from space. The dusk line sweeps in from the left and the gold arc marks midnight: each clock strikes its own midnight as the arc crosses it, and on 31 March 2026 every Crux hand reads exactly zero at that moment. Clocks over the edge of the Earth fade until it turns them back into view.
Both poles at once: the same Earth, the same moment, turning clockwise beneath the Southern Cross and anticlockwise beneath Polaris.
The Earth as a clock face, seen from above one pole, with the Sun held at the top and midnight at the bottom.
The world laid flat. The night shadow and the gold midnight line sweep west across the map, and each clock strikes its own midnight as the line passes beneath it, reading exactly zero on 31 March 2026.
The same clocks on both dials
Both views use the same twenty-four meridians and simulated time. Select a clock on either dial to inspect its location and local standard time. The shared readout makes the two viewpoints easy to compare.
Time stays clockwise
Every clock keeps ordinary time clockwise. Its sky hand follows the local sky instead: clockwise for the southern hemisphere and anticlockwise for the northern hemisphere.
Compare a midnight
Choose Replay 31 March 2026, then pause when a clock reaches the gold midnight marker. The same calibrated meridian reaches midnight in both views, even though the maps turn in opposite directions.
The 24 midnight-zero meridians
Listed in the order midnight reaches them. Latitude never moves the hand, so each place is a real spot on its meridian. Your zone is highlighted.
| Zone | Meridian | Latitude | Place on the meridian | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTC+12 | 178.7214° E | 17.70° S | Off Ovalau, Fiji | At sea, ~1.7 km off the west coast of Ovalau. |
| UTC+11 | 163.6804° E | 19.70° S | Belep Islands, New Caledonia | |
| UTC+10 | 148.6393° E | 33.00° S | Cumnock, New South Wales | Reference anchor: Parkes Observatory latitude, 35 km due east of the dish. |
| UTC+9 | 133.5982° E | 34.58° N | Okayama Astrophysical Observatory, Japan | The observatory dome is ~350 m west of the meridian. |
| UTC+8 | 118.5572° E | 32.07° N | Nanjing (Pukou), China | |
| UTC+7 | 103.5161° E | 13.41° N | Siem Reap Province, Cambodia | |
| UTC+6 | 88.4750° E | 24.37° N | Paba, Rajshahi, Bangladesh | |
| UTC+5 | 73.4340° E | 33.90° N | Murree, Pakistan | |
| UTC+4 | 58.3929° E | 23.59° N | Muscat (Bawshar), Oman | |
| UTC+3 | 43.3518° E | 43.49° N | Nizhny Chegem, Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia | |
| UTC+2 | 28.3108° E | 25.75° S | Pretoria (Mamelodi), South Africa | |
| UTC+1 | 13.2697° E | 52.52° N | Berlin (Charlottenburg), Germany | |
| UTC+0 | 1.7714° W | 51.17° N | Amesbury, Wiltshire (by Stonehenge) | |
| UTC−1 | 16.8125° W | 28.30° N | Santiago del Teide, Tenerife | No UTC-1 land on this meridian; the Canaries keep UTC+0. |
| UTC−2 | 31.8535° W | 72.58° N | Greenland ice sheet | |
| UTC−3 | 46.8946° W | 23.19° S | Jundiai, Sao Paulo, Brazil | |
| UTC−4 | 61.9357° W | 16.24° S | Concepcion, Santa Cruz, Bolivia | |
| UTC−5 | 76.9767° W | 38.90° N | Washington, D.C. | |
| UTC−6 | 92.0178° W | 30.22° N | Lafayette, Louisiana | |
| UTC−7 | 107.0589° W | 38.55° N | Gunnison County, Colorado | |
| UTC−8 | 122.0999° W | 37.39° N | Mountain View, California | |
| UTC−9 | 137.1410° W | 58.66° N | Mount Crillon, Fairweather Range, Alaska | |
| UTC−10 | 152.1821° W | 16.44° S | Off Maupiti, French Polynesia | At sea, ~5 km east of Maupiti reef. |
| UTC−11 | 167.2231° W | 53.60° N | Unalaska Island, Alaska | No UTC-11 land on this meridian; Alaska keeps UTC-9. |