Understanding Leap Seconds: How Timekeeping Adjusts for Earth's Rotation
By
pabs3
Toasted golden, schmeared with insight. Top of the rack.
Summary
The article discusses the history and technical aspects of leap seconds in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), explaining how they are used to synchronize atomic time with the Earth's rotation. It covers the 27 instances of leap second adjustments since their introduction, the reasons behind them (increasingly accurate clocks versus Earth's variable rotation), and the technical challenges they create for computer systems and networks. The piece also explores the ongoing debate about whether to continue using leap seconds or adopt a different timekeeping approach.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledOn the last day of December 2016 there was a brief hiccup as the world's clocks adjusted their time according to the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) standard by adding an extra second to the last minute of the 31st of December.
This is not unusual by any means, and this is the 27th time UTC has been adjusted by the insertion of this leap second into the UTC timestream.
The reason behind leap seconds has been the combination of increasingly accurate clocks and a wobbly Earth.
You might also wanna read
NIST Timing Facility Recovers from Power Outage, Maintains 5 Microsecond Accuracy
NIST's Boulder facility experienced a power outage lasting multiple days after a backup generator failure, causing their main ensemble clock
NIST Boulder Atomic Time Scale Fails Due to Power Outage, Internet Time Services Affected
NIST's Boulder campus has experienced a prolonged utility power outage due to high wind gusts and wildfire prevention measures, causing the
lists.nanog.org·5mo ago
NIST Gaithersburg Atomic Clock Failure Causes -10ms Time Step on Internet Time Servers
On December 6, 2025, the primary atomic time source (a cesium beam atomic clock) at NIST's Gaithersburg campus failed, causing a -10 millise
groups.google.com·5mo ago
Study: 3-Year-Olds Read Intent in Human Eyes but Not in Robot Gaze
A pioneering international study in developmental psychology and AI reveals that children as young as 3 instinctively read intentions in hum
neurosciencenews.com·1h ago
Solar desalination system eliminates toxic brine while producing fresh water
Scientists have developed a solar-powered desalination system that converts seawater into fresh water without producing toxic brine, a major
Solar desalination system eliminates toxic brine while producing fresh water
Scientists have developed a solar-powered desalination system that converts seawater into fresh water without producing toxic brine, a major