. | . |
Timekeepers add 'leap second' to world clocks for new year by Daniel Uria Washington (UPI) Dec 31, 2016
Clocks around the world will add a leap second to coordinate with a change in the speed of Earth's rotation. NASA will implement the additional second just before midnight Coordinated Universal Time on Dec. 31, 2016 to account for Earth's slowing rotation and allow precise timekeeping for its Solar Dynamics Observatory program. "SDO moves about 1.9 miles every second," Project scientist for SDO at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Dean Pesnell, said. "So does every other object in orbit near SDO. We all have to use the same time to make sure our collision avoidance programs are accurate. So we all add a leap second to the end of 2016, delaying 2017 by one second." The change will take place at 6:59:59 p.m. EST. Dr. Leon Lobo of London's National Physical Laboratory time and frequency group told the Telegraph it will likely come and go with little fanfare. "Most people won't even notice, although everyone will probably be celebrating New Year a second too early this year," he said. Lobo added the leap second may make its presence known by causing trouble for devices that run on atomic clocks, which keep a constant time by measuring the movements of electrons in cesium atoms. "People might also notice problems with mobile phone networks as they work on atomic time and, with the increased traffic on New Year's Eve, there could be potential issues," he said. A total of 27 leap seconds have been added to the clock since 1972 as the Earth's rotation continues to slow. "Leap seconds are needed to prevent civil time drifting away from Earth time. Although the drift is small - taking around 1,000 years to accumulate a one-hour difference - if not corrected it would eventually result in clocks showing midday before sunrise," NPL senior research scientist Peter Whibberley said.
Related Links Understanding Time and Space
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |