Time lords prepare to kick leap seconds into the next millennium

Key Points:

• The General Conference on Weights and Measures is set to vote on ending leap seconds, making Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) continuous from May 20, 2027, allowing UTC and Earth's rotational time (UT1) to differ by up to one hour.
• Leap seconds have been used since 1972 to keep atomic time (UTC) within 0.9 seconds of Earth's rotation, but recent increases in Earth's rotational speed raise the possibility of a negative leap second, which has never been implemented.
• Negative leap seconds pose significant risks to computer systems and critical infrastructure like telecommunications and electricity grids, as many systems assume leap seconds are only added, not removed.
• The proposal to eliminate leap seconds aims to prevent these risks and is expected to pass, with the divergence between UTC and Earth's rotation unlikely to reach a full hour for at least a thousand years.
• Ending leap seconds would reduce the complexity and potential disruptions in timekeeping systems, addressing long-standing frustrations among international timekeepers.