2016 will include extra second

[Still Waters]

For the many who feel 2016 cannot end soon enough - bad news.

The year will be one second longer than planned because of the addition of a leap second, designed to compensate for the slowing of the Earth's rotation.

It is all to do with keeping scientists' hyper-accurate atomic clocks in sync with the planet and was decided by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS), the scientific body responsible for maintaining time standards across the globe.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/leap-second-2016-year-earth-rotation-iers-time-atomic-clocks-accurate-compensate-timing-a7499981.html

[danielost]

so quanto's couldn't handle a second.

[seeder]

Its really not good enough. Ive made plans already. Now what the heck am I going to do with an extra second?

[Dark_Grey]

I wonder which celebrity will die in that last second? 2016 takes no prisoners.

[FlyingAngel]

So the most accurate 100k euro and mechanic Swiss watch become "wrong" for once second

Edited December 30, 2016 by FlyingAngel

[brlesq1]

Hmm...an extra second...think I'll go to Vegas!

[Parsec]

Yahoo! 

Think how many things you can do with another full second! 

 

 

Wait, it's already gone. 

Bummer. 

[Nnicolette]

Earth's slowing rotation? I wonder how that was determined. Or if that's normal.

[Black Monk]

That's not good news for those Remoaners and Clintonites desperately wanting to see the end of the glorious year of 2016.

[Black Monk]

56 minutes ago, Nnicolette said:

Earth's slowing rotation? I wonder how that was determined. Or if that's normal.

No. It's slowing. We're ****ed.

Edited December 30, 2016 by Black Monk

[Black Monk]

20 hours ago, seeder said:

Now what the heck am I going to do with an extra second?

Watch the highlights of Swansea City's clean sheets.

[freetoroam]

How many would have noticed this if it had not been mentioned? 

I have no intentions on being sober enough to acknowledge an extra second...i will go with the midnight bong.

[Peter B]

10 hours ago, Nnicolette said:

Earth's slowing rotation? I wonder how that was determined. Or if that's normal.

By a variety of methods. For example, careful measuring of the passage of time, and understanding the interactions of the Earth, Moon and Sun, and by looking carefully at old fossils (in particular, those which show daily and annual effects, such as tidal rhythmites (layers of sand and silt laid down in estuaries)).

It's quite normal and been known to us for more than a century: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_acceleration

[Nnicolette]

1 hour ago, Peter B said:

By a variety of methods. For example, careful measuring of the passage of time, and understanding the interactions of the Earth, Moon and Sun, and by looking carefully at old fossils (in particular, those which show daily and annual effects, such as tidal rhythmites (layers of sand and silt laid down in estuaries)).

It's quite normal and been known to us for more than a century: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_acceleration

You're kidding right? An extra second for the earth to reach the same exact point in orbit was determined by looking at old fossils?  Fascinating.

[Peter B]

6 minutes ago, Nnicolette said:

You're kidding right? An extra second for the earth to reach the same exact point in orbit was determined by looking at old fossils?  Fascinating.

Yeah, no. The relationship isn't quite as direct as that. Nevertheless, there are fossils which show both daily and annual characteristics *, and they show that hundreds of millions of years ago the day was a few hours shorter than it is now, and that as a consequence there were more days in the year.

* Tidal rhythmites are fossil deposits of silt and sand from ancient river estuaries. There are layers which show daily tidal changes, while groups of layers show changes over the course of a year. Examples of these from hundreds of millions of years ago show years with 400+ days.

But yes, it is fascinating.

[coolguy]

Very cool for sure

[danielost]

On 12/30/2016 at 9:33 AM, Nnicolette said:

Earth's slowing rotation? I wonder how that was determined. Or if that's normal.

normal

[Rlyeh]

On ‎31‎/‎12‎/‎2016 at 2:01 PM, Nnicolette said:

You're kidding right? An extra second for the earth to reach the same exact point in orbit was determined by looking at old fossils?  Fascinating.

Rotation is not the same as an orbit.

[Nnicolette]

7 hours ago, Rlyeh said:

Rotation is not the same as an orbit.

Clearly. But an added second is a slight extension of the orbit and the same second each year should correspond with a particular place in the orbit. I hardly find fossils relevant to demonstrating this extra second of lag.

[Rlyeh]

1 hour ago, Nnicolette said:

Clearly. But an added second is a slight extension of the orbit and the same second each year should correspond with a particular place in the orbit. I hardly find fossils relevant to demonstrating this extra second of lag.

How do you know the orbit has changed? In order to get to 1st January the 31st of December needs to end.

[danielost]

On 1/1/2017 at 8:23 PM, Nnicolette said:

Clearly. But an added second is a slight extension of the orbit and the same second each year should correspond with a particular place in the orbit. I hardly find fossils relevant to demonstrating this extra second of lag.

the orbit hasn't changed, just the rotation.  due to the pull by the moon.

[Nnicolette]

16 hours ago, danielost said:

the orbit hasn't changed, just the rotation.  due to the pull by the moon.

The rotation is a part of the orbit. An extra secod in time means it has slowed or else there wouldnt be time to fit the extra second in and still end up in the sae place.