Your Local Sidereal Time
Solar time, like Hawaii Standard Time (HST), is based on a 24-hour day, with the Sun directly overhead around the same time every day.
In contrast to solar time, which is based on the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, sidereal time is based on the fixed rate of Earth’s rotation relative to the stars. Consequently, a star viewed from the same location and at the same local sidereal time (LST) will appear in the sky at the same location the following night.
When we measure the time between transits of a star, we find that it is slightly less than 24 hours, approximately 23 hours 56 minutes. This distinction is because, as our planet orbits the Sun, the Earth must rotate slightly more than one turn in order to complete the Sun transit.
It has been noted that 13:30 LST is advantageous for remote viewing because the Earth faces a “quiet” background radiation region of our galaxy, the Milky Way. Read More . . .