Learn me, learn me good...

[xoxoxoBruce]

Can someone explain why Alaska is our eastern most state?

[Aliantha]

Not me.

[glatt]

My understanding is that the International Date Line zig zags around the Aleutian Islands, so Alaska is firmly in the West and not at all in the East.

But if the International Date Line followed 180 degrees longitude exactly, then in that alternate universe, some of those islands would be in the far far East while the others are in the far far West.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Yeah, I had checked the dateline and found it zig-zaged, as you did. That's when I ran out of logical explanations.

[glatt]

In their graphic, they call it the "anti meridian," which sounds made-up. I never heard of that before. So if you are making something up, you can make your own rules.

[xoxoxoBruce]

What? Who's graphic? Where?

[Gravdigr]

East-West is determined by the International Dateline? I thought that only concerned the date.

I thought East-West was determined by the 180° line of longitude? Which is string straight, and runs between Semisopochnoi Island, and Amatignak Island, which are Alaska.

Per Wiki:

At 179°46' East (in the Eastern Hemisphere), the easternmost tip of Semisopochnoi is, by longitude, the easternmost land location in the United States and North America. Semisopochnoi sits only 14 minutes west of the 180th meridian, the International Date Line.

Also per Wiki:

Amatignak Island is a member of the Delarof Islands (western Andreanof Islands), in Alaska's Aleutian archipelago. The southernmost point of Alaska is on this island, as well as the highest western longitude of Alaska, the United States, and North America

[glatt]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

What? Who's graphic? Where?

Your picture in the first post.

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by glatt

In their graphic, they call it the "anti meridian," which sounds made-up. I never heard of that before.

Opposite the Prime Meridian, which is 0° longitude.

[Undertoad]

Originally Posted by glatt

In their graphic, they call it the "anti meridian," which sounds made-up. I never heard of that before.

AM is "ante meridiem" so it sounds like someone heard that term, and thought it applied somehow to the meridian.

[xoxoxoBruce]

2,120,000 for anti meridian, seems it's well known to everybody but me.

Looks like Digr wins the prize(to be determined later... much later) with lots of information I didn't know.

[Crimson Ghost]

The antemeridian is married to your unclemeridian, and made all those little meridians...
----------------------------------------------
Dominus vobiscum nabisco. Espiritu sanctum.
De gustibus. Me gustibus. You gustibus. We missed the bus. They missed the bus. When's the next bus?
Summa cum laude. Magna cum laude. The radio's too laude.
Adeste fidelis. Centra fidelis. High fidelis.
Post meridian. Ante meridian. Uncle meridian. All of the little meridians.
Magna carta. Master charga.
Dum procellas. Lotsa Vitalis.

[Gravdigr]

I always wondered where the cousinmeridian came from...