According to Rav Moshe Feinstein, ZT"L chatzot is always the same time ,11:56. Does this time change either forward or backward when the clock changes (winter or summer)? And is this time always the same in different countries?
Answer:
Rav Moshe Feinstein (Iggros Moshe, Orach Chaim Vol. 2, no. 20) rules that halachic chatzos is at a fixed time throughout the year, which is the "solar noon" (when the sun crosses the meridian). This principle is also stated by the Aruch Ha-Shulchan (Orach Chaim 233:14).
This comes to 11:56 am in New York, and the time will be 12:56 for daylight saving time.
The time changes according to location, and in Jerusalem, for instance, it comes to 11:37am.
Shalom Alecha,
I'm afraid I don't understand the astronomy here. At a given time in a given place, the sun's apparent position will move and over the year trace out the shape of an analemma (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analemma ). So the sun is not located due south at the same time every day, no matter where on earth you are located.
I am no great expert in this field, but I believe that the background can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noon and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apparent_solar_time.
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