Question 1

How do I move the globe and choose a city?

Accepted Answer

Drag to rotate, scroll or pinch to zoom, then select a city label or search the directory by city, country or IANA time zone. With the globe focused, use arrow keys to rotate and + / − to zoom.

Question 2

Where does the time come from?

Accepted Answer

Live mode uses your device clock. City clocks use the browser’s IANA time-zone rules, including daylight saving time for the selected date. An incorrect device clock will affect the displayed time.

Question 3

Can I change the date and simulate day and night?

Accepted Answer

Use the UTC date field and time slider. Simulate advances time at 120×, 600× or 1800×; Pause stops it and Live sync returns to now. The date range is 1900–2100.

Question 4

Does locating my city require permission?

Accepted Answer

Location is requested only when you press Locate my city. It selects the nearest city in the directory, not necessarily your exact city. If unavailable, a device-time-zone reference city is shown. Your coordinates are not sent to our server.

Question 5

Is this free, and does it work on a phone?

Accepted Answer

Yes. No account or download is needed. On a phone, open the city directory or details using their edge buttons. Use Grid & view for overlays, Clean view to hide panels, and Full screen for a larger view. WebGL is required for the globe.

Question 6

How accurate is the terminator, and why does it tilt?

Accepted Answer

Approximate solar declination and equation-of-time formulas place the Sun for the live or simulated timestamp. Earth’s roughly 23.44° obliquity shifts the subsolar point through the seasons. Near equinoxes the boundary passes close to both poles; near solstices you can explore polar day and night. Seasonal buttons select reference dates, not exact astronomical events. The inspector marks civil twilight from −6° to 0° solar elevation; the globe’s soft glow is illustrative. City lights use a static texture, not live satellite observations.

Question 7

Why are some city labels hidden?

Accepted Answer

The directory contains 189 capitals and hubs, not every country. Filter by continent or search Chinese or English city and country names, or IANA zones. Smart spacing prioritizes major cities; zooming in allows more labels while still preventing overlaps. Show all displays labels on the visible hemisphere; labels behind the globe remain hidden.

Question 8

How do I compare two cities?

Accepted Answer

Choose the first city, select Set comparison origin, then choose another. The gold route represents the shortest spherical path. Distances use a sphere of radius about 6,371 km and are rounded to kilometres, not precise ellipsoidal or terrain distances or actual flight routes. Time differences use IANA offsets for the selected date, including daylight saving, and update when the date changes. Clear route removes the comparison.

Question 9

How does the 15° grid relate to time?

Accepted Answer

Choose 10°, 15° or 30° grids and toggle tropics, polar circles, coordinate badges and the terminator ring. Hover over the visible globe to read coordinates. Dividing 360° by a 24-hour mean solar day gives roughly one hour of solar-time difference per 15° longitude. This is a geometric reference, not legal time-zone borders; real zones can include half-hour or 45-minute offsets and daylight saving.

Question 10

How do I use the globe as a fullscreen clock?

Accepted Answer

Z toggles side drawers and the viewpoint dock; the top toolbar and timeline remain. F toggles fullscreen. L requests location and chooses the nearest catalog city, or a device-time-zone reference if location is unavailable. Fullscreen controls fade when idle and return on pointer movement or keyboard use. Cruise ranges from 0.0× to 2.5× in 0.1× steps, default 0.4×; zero stops rotation. Reduced-motion preferences disable initial rotation. Focus the globe for arrow-key rotation and + / − zoom. Z/F/L are inactive in text/date fields and the guide dialog; click the globe or use the buttons.

Question 11

Why is apparent solar time different from the city clock?

Accepted Answer

The city clock shows legal local time with applicable daylight saving under IANA rules. Apparent solar time is derived from city longitude and the computed subsolar longitude; about 12:00 means the Sun crosses the local meridian, or solar noon. Longitude, legal time-zone choices and the equation of time explain differences. These values are educational approximations, not precision astronomical observations.

Global Time

Key features

Live day, night and city lights

189 cities and smart labels

Time differences and great-circle distances

3D grids and coordinate probe

Clean view, fullscreen and shortcuts

How to use Global Time

Global Time FAQ