Extra drinking time this New Year

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Doug Laidlaw - 29 Dec 2005 11:29 GMT

The first line of an item reporting that scientists have added one "leap
second" to 2005.

Scientific time, Universal Co-ordinated Time or UTC, runs on a "standard
second" of fixed length. Every so often, this gets far enough in advance
of the Sun that an adjustment is required. The one at the end of 2005 is
the first for 7 years. I remember so many of them, that I thought it was
about every 2 years.

Doug L.

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Rog' - 29 Dec 2005 13:09 GMT

> The first line of an item reporting that scientists have
> added one "leap second" to 2005.

Look, I've got plans for next year. I expect 2005 to
end when its 'sposed to, and not one second later. =R=

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Robert Grumbine - 29 Dec 2005 14:29 GMT

>The first line of an item reporting that scientists have added one "leap
>second" to 2005.
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>the first for 7 years. I remember so many of them, that I thought it was
>about every 2 years.

2-ish years is the more normal interval between leap seconds. We just
hit a spell of being particularly slow to slow down the earth's rotation.
(Oceans/melting ice masses/...) Expectations now are to return to
the more usual 18-30 month interval. (Leap seconds can only be added
once in 6 months -- end of May/December.)

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Robert Grumbine http://www.radix.net/~bobg/ Science faqs and amateur activities notes and links.
Sagredo (Galileo Galilei) "You present these recondite matters with too much
evidence and ease; this great facility makes them less appreciated than they
would be had they been presented in a more abstruse manner." Two New Sciences

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Family Forum / Marriage / Marriage / December 2005

Extra drinking time this New Year