Other than the sysOp posting the extern time in the game selection area or viewing the daily log, is there any way to determine when extern runs? I capped a corp flag around 3 AM or so and dropped it in Fed on the first (maybe 2nd) day of a game. At 4 AM it went poof - back to the feds. It was a nice corp flag, barely used, twarp for 2, planet scan, eprobes and cloaks and even came with around 45 fighters.

               / Promethius / Enigma / Wolfen /

"A man who has no skills can be taught, a man who has no honor has nothing."

There is also a sysop setting to not display the time.
But as you said , after the first day of the game ..check the dailies for extern time.

That is the best way to find out the time other then looking for sysop's post somewhere.