Timekeepers Ditch Leap Second Over Concerns of Digital Chaos, Opening the Door to a Future Leap Hour
Learn why timekeepers are getting rid of leap seconds, adjustments to Coordinated Universal Time that have caused widespread system outages in the past.
The world's timekeeping system, which has relied on leap seconds to stay in sync with Earth's movements, is set to undergo a significant change. After 50 years of adjustment, the international timekeeping body has decided to phase out leap seconds starting in 2027. This decision comes after concerns that maintaining leap seconds could disrupt digital systems and telecommunications networks.
Leap seconds are added to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to reconcile the discrepancy between atomic time and the Earth's rotation, which is expressed as Universal Time 1 (UT1). The last leap second was added in 2016, and no further additions were required until 2027. In the absence of leap seconds, the difference between UTC and UT1 will gradually accumulate, reaching a full hour before a leap hour is implemented.
This change is expected to occur several centuries from now, averting potential chaos in global digital systems.
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