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Every second matters... or does it? The way we tell time is expected to change
KATU • • science
Key Points:
- Time is measured in two ways: astronomical time (UT1) based on Earth's rotation, and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which defines a day as exactly 24 hours.
- To keep UTC synchronized with Earth's slowing rotation, leap seconds have been added 27 times since 1972, but recent irregularities show Earth's spin is speeding up, potentially requiring the removal of leap seconds.
- Removing leap seconds could cause significant issues for software systems unprepared for backward time adjustments, prompting concerns among scientists and technologists.
- At a 2024 international meeting, delegates voted to adopt "continuous UTC," which would eliminate leap seconds and only adjust time when a full hour difference accumulates, potentially avoiding changes for over 1,000 years.
- This change, set for May 20, 2027, means daily timekeeping will gradually drift from astronomical time, impacting fields like astronomy and requiring updates to systems reliant on precise synchronization.
