There are approximately 86,400.002 seconds in a solar day, leading to the invention of the leap second to keep Coordinated Universal Time in sync with standard time. Leap seconds are inserted almost once a year and are more common than leap years. They are usually added on the last day of June or December and have occurred at intervals of one, 1.5, or two years. The need for leap seconds is not solely due to the Earth’s slowing rotation, but also to discrepancies between solar and clock days.
Many believe there are 86,400 seconds in a day. While this is mostly true, it’s not entirely true. Instead, there are approximately 86,400.002 seconds in each solar day. While it may not seem like a significant difference, over the span of a year, it is almost equivalent to a full second. To find a solution to this time discrepancy, the leap second was invented.
A leap second, just like a leap year, makes a correction in time. Due to the fact that there is no calendar or clock that exactly synchronizes with the Earth’s activities, these corrections are needed from time to time. A leap second is inserted into the watch almost once a year.
Leap second is, actually, much more common than a leap year, but not so many people notice it. The reason for this is because it is a tiny amount of time in most people’s minds. However, international standards state that it is important to keep Coordinated Universal Time, which is the time we all live, in sync with standard time.
Whenever a leap second has been implemented, it has occurred on the last day of June or the last day of December. So, for some, the New Year’s celebrations may start a second or two earlier. Since its implementation, the longest period in the world without the insertion of a leap second is 7 years, from 1998 to 2005.
There was a period of time where two leap seconds took place six months apart. This occurred between the first leap second on December 31, 1971 and the second on June 30, 1972. Since that time, every leap second has elapsed at least one year apart. A year between leap seconds is the most common interval, followed by 1.5 years and then two years. There was even a time when leap seconds were three years apart.
While some believe that a leap second is necessary because the Earth is slowing down in its revolutions, this is only partially true. While tides have a slowing effect on Earth, even without tides there would still be a small discrepancy. However, some argue that the solar day has only been slower than the clock day since 1820. Conversely, the solar day was shorter than the clock day prior to that year. Even so, it has only been since 1971 that a concerted effort has been made to eliminate the discrepancy.
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