Home / Science / Timekeepers Ditch Leap Second for Leap Hour After Decades
Timekeepers Ditch Leap Second for Leap Hour After Decades
15 Oct
Summary
- Delegates from 69 nations approved a switch from leap seconds to a leap hour.
- The change aims to prevent technical failures in computer systems.
- The leap hour may not be needed for thousands of years, unlike leap seconds.
Delegates representing 69 countries have officially voted to transition from the leap second to a leap hour, marking an end to decades of discussion on timekeeping adjustments. This decision was made at a recent conference held by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in France.
The primary motivation behind adopting the leap hour is to enhance the reliability of computer systems and other essential technical infrastructure. Leap seconds, which have been added periodically since 1972, have posed challenges, with some systems failing during their implementation.
For instance, issues arose in 2012 when certain operating systems could not process minutes with 61 seconds, leading to server freezes and system outages for platforms like Reddit and LinkedIn. The possibility of negative leap seconds, which would subtract a second, posed even greater, untested risks.
The new leap hour standard allows Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to drift by up to an hour from astronomical time before an adjustment is made. This infrequent adjustment is not expected to be necessary for thousands of years, offering a significant reduction in the frequency of timekeeping changes compared to leap seconds.
