[154421] in North American Network Operators' Group
RE: F-ckin Leap Seconds, how do they work?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Keith Medcalf)
Tue Jul 3 18:21:00 2012
Date: Tue, 03 Jul 2012 16:20:14 -0600
In-Reply-To: <alpine.LSU.2.00.1207032222360.23668@hermes-2.csi.cam.ac.uk>
From: "Keith Medcalf" <kmedcalf@dessus.com>
To: "nanog@nanog.org" <nanog@nanog.org>
Errors-To: nanog-bounces+nanog.discuss=bloom-picayune.mit.edu@nanog.org
> Leap seconds are to align the artificial and very stable atomic timescale
> with the irregular and slowing rotation of the earth.
You are assuming facts not in evidence. The rotation is merely irregular w=
ithin the capabilities of our scheme of measurement, calculation, and obser=
vation. Once upon a time eclipses of the sun and moon were "random magic",=
before the mechanism was understood. So to the periodic cycles of the rot=
ation of the earth about its axis, the planet about the sun, etc., are view=
ed as "magical". This is not due to magic, but rather limitations of under=
standing.
Leap seconds are to align the artifical timescale (which we presently assum=
e, based on facts not in evidence) to be very stable with the simple observ=
ation of the equinox and zenith of the sun, on which "time" reconning is ba=
sed.
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