2006 will be delayed by a 'leap second'

**carfrancis** · December 29th, 2005 03:14 PM

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/20...p-second_x.htm

WASHINGTON (AP) — 2006 has been postponed. But not for long. A leap second will be inserted in the world's clocks just before midnight — Greenwich mean time — on New Year's Eve, the U.S. Naval Observatory reported Friday.
That means 7 p.m. ET, Dec. 31, will occur one second later than it would have otherwise.

Leap seconds are needed occasionally because modern atomic clocks measure time with great accuracy, while the rotation of the Earth can be inconsistent.

The rotation of the Earth has been slowing down, so leap seconds keep the clocks and the Earth from getting out of synch with one another.

This will be the 23rd leap second that has been inserted since 1972 when an international timekeeping agreement was signed, according to the Observatory. The last one was inserted seven years ago.

**kimpOy** · December 29th, 2005 04:02 PM

late din naman lagi ang mga pinoy eh so ayus lang. he..he

**CVT** · December 29th, 2005 04:32 PM

Inspite of my technical background, how they track the actual rotation and revolution of the earth around the sun is still beyond me... These guys are 'out of this world'... It would be an enriching and pleasurable experience to have a chat with these experts...

To us, regular people, a second is 'not a concern'... However, for F1 drivers in qualifying, a fraction of a second can mean victory or defeat...

**niwde11** · December 29th, 2005 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by CVT

Inspite of my technical background, how they track the actual rotation and revolution of the earth around the sun is still beyond me... These guys are 'out of this world'... It would be an enriching and pleasurable experience to have a chat with these experts...

it was discussed last night sa CNN. it has something to do with "cesium atom"(dont know kung tama spelling). comprehending is another thing.

**explorer** · December 29th, 2005 07:23 PM

Originally Posted by CVT

Inspite of my technical background, how they track the actual rotation and revolution of the earth around the sun is still beyond me... These guys are 'out of this world'... It would be an enriching and pleasurable experience to have a chat with these experts...

thru hundreds of satelites out there...if they can pinpoint at an accuracy of 1 meter with GPS around the world, 86,400 seconds/per day is very easy to measure compared to pinpointing the exact location.

**mantoy** · December 29th, 2005 04:36 PM

how long is a 'leap second' ba? heheh. yan ba yung when you say "one thousand and one"?

**hailax167** · December 30th, 2005 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by mantoy

how long is a 'leap second' ba? heheh. yan ba yung when you say "one thousand and one"?

... i second the motion.. no nga ibig sabihn nun..?

**wren** · December 30th, 2005 01:21 PM

so all that means is when you do the new year countdown, you start at 11...10, 9, 8...

**van_wilder** · December 29th, 2005 05:18 PM

additional 1second din yan!

**StraightSix** · December 29th, 2005 06:43 PM

OT Siguro kaya palaging late ang pinoy, kasi hindi alam ang tamang oras

Magtanong ka sa iba-ibang tao, iba-iba din makukuha mong oras.

One way to know the exact time is to tune-in to WWV and similar broadcast stations. Radios that can receive shortwave (SW) should be tuned to any of the following frequencies ... 2.5 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz and 20 MHz.

If you are tuned to the correct/exact frequency, you'll hear "short ticks" that signify the seconds, a "long tone" every 60th second (or start of the minute), and voice announcements at the start of each hour.

Of course, there are other ways of synchronizing your watch to a cesium clock.