'Leap second': how are you planning to spend it?
by James Walsh from on (#CVRB)
Just before midnight tonight the earth gains an extra second, as atomic clocks recalibrate with the turning of the earth. How will you take advantage of it?
Each moment of human existence is precious, and we'll all be getting an extra one at midnight on Tuesday (GMT). The "leap second" is to allow extremely precise devices to keep in sync with the Earth's rotation, which is gradually slowing. The extra second added by atomic clocks at 23:59:60 will keep official time in tune with when night and day are supposed to happen.
A second can be an age: time enough to fall in love, spot a shooting star, or click 'send' on a massively misguided email.
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