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'{{other uses|Midnight (disambiguation)}} [[File:Midnight Mist.jpg|thumb|A photo taken at midnight]] '''Midnight''' is the transition time from one [[day]] to the next &ndash; the moment when the date changes. In ancient [[Roman timekeeping]], midnight was halfway between [[sunset]] and [[sunrise]] (i.e., solar midnight), varying according to the [[season]]s. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of [[noon]], differing from it by 12 hours. '''Solar midnight''' is the time [[antisolar point|opposite]] to [[Noon#Solar noon|solar noon]], when the Sun is [[meridian (astronomy)|closest]] to the [[nadir]], and the [[night]] is [[culmination|equidistant]] from [[dusk]] and [[dawn]]. Due to the advent of [[time zone]]s, which make time identical across a range of [[meridian (geography)|meridian]]s, and [[daylight saving time]], it rarely coincides with 12 midnight on the clock. Solar midnight depends on longitude and time of the year rather than on time zone. In the [[Northern Hemisphere]], "midnight" had an ancient geographic association with "[[north]]" (as did "noon" with "[[south]]" – see [[noon]]). Modern [[Polish language|Polish]], [[Belarusian language|Belarusian]], [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]] and [[Serbian language|Serbian]] preserve this association with its word for "midnight" (''północ'', ''поўнач'', ''північ'', ''пoнoħ'' – literally "half-night"), which also means "north". ==Start and end of day== {{main|12-hour clock#Confusion at noon and midnight}} Midnight marks the beginning and ending of each day in civil time throughout the world. It is the dividing point between one day and another. Strictly speaking, it is incorrect to use "a.m." and "p.m." when referring to noon or midnight (12:00). The abbreviation a.m. stands for ''ante meridiem'' or ''before noon'' and p.m. stands for ''post meridiem'' or ''after noon''. Since noon is neither after noon nor before noon, and midnight is exactly twelve hours before and after noon, neither abbreviation is correct. However, digital clocks and timers are able to display time only as "a.m." or "p.m." and therefore the correct terminology cannot be used, and an arbitrary decision has to be taken to use either "am" or "pm". There is no international standard.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.npl.co.uk/reference/faqs/is-midnight-12-am-or-12-pm-faq-time|title=National Physics Laboratory}}</ref> In the United States and Canada, digital clocks and computers commonly display 12 [[Ante meridiem|a.m]] at midnight. The thirtieth edition of the ''U.S. Government Style Manual (2008)'' sections 9.54 and 12.9b recommended the use of "12 a.m." for midnight and "12 p.m." for noon.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2008_style_manual&docid=f:chapter9.wais|title=U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual Chapter 9|year=2008|accessdate=2009-06-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2008_style_manual&docid=f:chapter12.wais|title=U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual Chapter 12|year=2008|accessdate=2009-06-11}}</ref> However, the 29th edition of the ''U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual (2000)'' section 12.9 recommended the opposite. The US Department of Commerce recommends avoiding confusion altogether by using "11.59 PM" instead of "midnight" and the date, so that it is clear which day is being referred to.<ref name=NIST>{{cite web |url=https://www.nist.gov/pml/div688/times.cfm |title=How to use a.m./p.m. vs. noon/midnight. |publisher=[[National Institute of Standards and Technology]] |date=February 4, 2010|accessdate=2012-09-02 }}</ref> The most common ways to represent these times are to: * use a 24-hour clock (00:00 and 12:00, 24:00) * use "midnight", although "midnight" is still ambiguous since it could refer to the beginning of that day or the end of that day * use "midnight" and specify the two days or dates (Midnight Saturday/Sunday or Midnight December 14/15) * use "12:01 a.m." or "11:59 p.m.", recommended where the ambiguity can have serious consequences, such as in contracts and insurance policies<ref name=NIST/> In [[24-hour clock|24-hour time]], "0:00" and "0:00:00" can refer to midnight, but [[ISO 8601#Times|ISO 8601]] specifies 24:00. [[File:Clock showing 24 00.JPG|thumb|right|One way for a digital clock to show midnight]] Some religious calendars continue to begin the day at another time — for example, at sunset in the [[Hebrew calendar]] and the [[Islamic calendar]]. ==See also== *[[12-hour clock]] *[[Noon]] *[[New Year's Eve]] *[[24-hour clock]] ==Notes== <references group="nb"/> == References == {{reflist}} ==External links== {{wikiquote}} {{commons}} *[https://www.nist.gov/pml/div688/faq.cfm National Institute of Standards and Technology] {{Parts of a day}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Parts of a day]] [[Category:Night]]'