Energy News  
RAS Statement On The Proposed Abolition Of Leap Seconds

Leap seconds are small adjustments to UTC, which keep ordinary clock time synchronised with the rotation of Earth and thus with the location of the Sun in the sky. They were introduced in 1972 as a reasonable compromise to serve both needs.

London, UK (SPX) Sep 22, 2005
In November 2005, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) will be discussing a proposal to abolish leap seconds.

The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) strongly recommends that this proposal should be shelved, and that, before any changes are implemented, there should be a broader, public debate on the future use of these small adjustments to our annual time-keeping.

Our scientific understanding of time has developed over several centuries. Today, scientists recognise that there are two distinct requirements for time-keeping:

  • absolute time-keeping, now based on high precision atomic clocks;
  • everyday time-keeping, based on the rotation of the Earth (solar time). This is called Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

    Leap seconds are small adjustments to UTC, which keep ordinary clock time synchronised with the rotation of Earth and thus with the location of the Sun in the sky. They were introduced in 1972 as a reasonable compromise to serve both needs.

    There have been 21 leap seconds since 1972 and the next is planned at the end of 2005. Their use is determined by the International Earth Rotation Service, which is sponsored by scientific bodies including the International Astronomical Union.

    However, there is now a proposal to abolish leap seconds from December 2007. This proposal will be discussed by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) at a meeting in Geneva in November 2005.

    The proposed change would cause UTC to drift with respect to solar time. If agreed, this would change UTC so that it would serve only precise timing requirements.

    The proponents of the change consider leap seconds to be a problem for precision timing applications and thus are seeking solutions. But the present proposal seeks to solve their problem by exporting problems to those who use clock time as a measure of mean solar time (as guaranteed by current international standards).

    These include astronomers, satellite operators and potentially all who study environmental phenomena related to the rising and setting of Sun.

    The idea that clock time follows solar time is deeply embedded in contemporary technical culture through a wealth of literature (text books, web pages etc) and in the skills of working scientists and engineers around the world.

    The Society is concerned that this issue has been subject only to a specialist and rather closed debate. There is a clear need for broader debate that involves a wider range of those who will be affected by the proposed change.

    This should extend outside science and technology - for example, to consider whether civil/legal time should be based on precision time or mean solar time.

    The Society strongly recommends that the proposal to abolish leap seconds should be shelved and that the ITU works to promote a broader and public debate.

    "This debate should seek a fair solution that serves both needs for time-keeping," said Mike Hapgood, Secretary of the RAS, who has led the preparation of the Society's statement.

    "There are a lot of skilled people already involved in the debate; we need them to work together to improve current time-keeping for everyone's benefit and not just for one group."

    Community
    Email This Article
    Comment On This Article

    Related Links
    Leap-seconds discussion at US Naval Observatory
    Steve Allen's bibliographic gathering of references on leap seconds
    Marcus Kuhn's leap seconds site at Cambridge
    The UTC Problem and its Solutions, presentation by Pat Wallace
    Time Bandits article by Wendy Grossman
    Detailed article by proponents of change
    SpaceDaily
    Search SpaceDaily
    Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express
    Understanding Time and Space



    Memory Foam Mattress Review
    Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
    XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


    Unified Physics Theory Explains Animals Running Flying And Swimming
    Durham NC (SPX) Jan 05, 2006
    A single unifying physics theory can essentially describe how animals of every ilk, from flying insects to fish, get around, researchers at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering and Pennsylvania State University have found. The team reports that all animals bear the same stamp of physics in their design.







  • Heart Of US Petroleum Industry Menaced By Rita
  • More Than 70 Percent Of US Gulf Of Mexico Oil Output Cut By Hurricanes
  • OPEC Gets Extra Oil To Markets On Hurricane Watch
  • Oil Prices Higher On Hurricane Rita Fears

  • Scorpene Deal Will Ensure Nuke Supply
  • Russia To Build Nuke Waste Facility
  • Death, Environmental Toll From Chernobyl Less Than Feared: Report
  • China Won't Sign On To PSI

  • Getting To The TOPP Of Houston's Air Pollution
  • Scientists Seek Sprite Light Source



  • Sophisticated Forecasts Help India's Farmers Survive Patchy Monsoon
  • Analysis: N.Korea No Longer Wants Food Aid?
  • Novel Compounds Show Promise As Safer, More Potent Insecticides
  • Agriculture Reviving In Aceh After Tsunami: Scientists

  • Mapflow And DTO Announce Dublin Satellite Tolling Study
  • German Car Makers Scramble To Jump On Hybrid Engine Bandwagon
  • Could Katrina Kill The SUV?
  • SUV Drivers Beware: Paris Can Be A Deflating Experience

  • China's Top Airplane Maker Aims To Become Major Global Player
  • China's Aviation Boom Drives World Market
  • Boeing Projects $213 Billion Market For New Airplanes In China
  • Chinese Airline Signs Deal To Buy Eight Boeing 787 Aircraft

  • NASA plans to send new robot to Jupiter
  • Los Alamos Hopes To Lead New Era Of Nuclear Space Tranportion With Jovian Mission
  • Boeing Selects Leader for Nuclear Space Systems Program
  • Boeing-Led Team to Study Nuclear-Powered Space Systems

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement