Did you know that a second is added to official clocks so that they are synchronized with our calendar? It is called a leap second or leap second. However, this practice has its days numbered.
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Why does leap second exist?
Similar to leap year, the leap second exists to compensate for the difference between astronomical time – based on rotation of Earth – and Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) – based on the clock atomic. Whenever the discrepancy exceeds 0.9 seconds, it is compensated for by this “extra” second.
In an interview with the Live Science website, Patrizia Tavella, director of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM, in English), claims that the Earth's rotation is slowing down. Thus, the planet accumulates a delay minute every century and an hour every 5,000 years. Therefore, the leap second was created.
However, this additional time has created some issues that may result in technical difficulties. These failures can affect various sectors of society, including financial transactions, computer anomalies and the performance of telescopes.
Tavella uses the aviation sector as an example, which depends heavily on the proper functioning of watches. “Airlines have been having issues with their scheduled flights due to the time difference,” she explains. According to her, there is a lack of synchronization, as computer companies use different techniques to add leap seconds.
For example, Google spreads the extra second across the 24 hours of the day around midnight (UTC). Meta, a Facebook and WhatsApp company, uses another technique. However, the two are in favor of eliminating the second offset and agree that this could wreak havoc in the digital age.
When will the practice end?
The leap second is due to be closed by 2035 and will not be used for at least a century. That was what was decided at the General Conference on Weights and Measures, in France, last Friday, November 18th. Governments around the world participated in this decision.
In this way, from 2035, astronomical time may diverge from UTC. The prediction is that the two clocks will clash in at least one minute.
If you're obsessed with always being on time (or you're a Virgo) and you've started to worry about this information, don't worry. Patrizia Tavella stated that an ordinary person will possibly not even see a difference.
Furthermore, the proposal may not go ahead. It will still be discussed with other international organizations. The final decision should be made by 2026.
Graduated in Social Communication at the Federal University of Goiás. Passionate about digital media, pop culture, technology, politics and psychoanalysis.
