Geordie – I’m confused – if the time zone is supposed to start in Yerushalayim, why would it be 90 degrees East or 180 degrees East and West? Shouldn’t it just start in Yerushalayim period? I imagine you won’t be able to explain this to me in a post – I probably need a map with lines to have any idea what you are talking about.
Regarding the astronauts, I think I also may have seen a shita that it goes by where you came from, but I thought there was also an opinion that it goes by Eretz Yisrael. But I’m not sure.
“I suppose because when the original people settled there, they arrived by boat and possibly weren’t aware of the days or the different shitos in the rishonim. So they just kept Shabbos on Saturday like it is in most places of the settled world.”
I still find that hard to understand. I’m not saying you are wrong – I just don’t get it.
Anyhow, thanks for all of the lengthy explanations. It is fascinating!