[154484] in North American Network Operators' Group
RE: F-ckin Leap Seconds, how do they work?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Peter Lothberg)
Thu Jul 5 10:57:00 2012
Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2012 16:55:50 CEST
From: Peter Lothberg <roll@Stupi.SE>
To: "Keith Medcalf" <kmedcalf@dessus.com>
In-Reply-To: <85c752350c2e434f9c86242d474c4614@mail.dessus.com>
Cc: "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.
Earth is 10e-8 in frequency, a nanosecond a day is kindof 10e-14 on
frequency.
Tom has done the work to document it..
http://www.leapsecond.com/museum/earth/
--Peter
