I used to resent changing clocks twice a year. I came to appreciate it as an absurdly arbitrary act that inconveniences everyone equally. And I love to see government get under the skin of Conservatives and make them do its bidding.

The Sky This Week, 2015 October 27 – November 3 — Naval Oceanography Portal

This annual ritual now takes place on the first Sunday in November thanks to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Congress’ most recent modification of the Uniform Time Act of 1966. This Act establishes in U.S. Code the boundaries of the country’s time zones and specifies the dates that Daylight Time is in force. Daylight Time has always been controversial since its first introduction to our clocks in 1918, and many people today still don’t like it. Folks in Arizona are the only ones in the “lower 48” who don’t change their clocks during the course of the year; however, if you visit the Navajo Nation in the northeast corner of the state, you’ll need to obey the Daylight Time rules while there. To add to the confusion, the Hopi Reservation that lies within the Navajo Nation follows Arizona’s rules, so a drive through these regions will have you furiously adjusting your watch! If you are one of the many folks who don’t like the rules, you can contact the Department of Transportation, the civilian agency tasked with enforcing the Act’s requirements. Here at the Naval Observatory we keep only one time-scale, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), to which all American time-zones are tied, but we have no “say” in how that time is used!

The Sky This Week, 2015 October 27 – November 3 — Naval Oceanography Portal