John Oliver shows you how to spend the extra ‘leap second’
You’ve heard of leap years. Now meet the leap second.
While a normal day lasts 86,400 seconds, this Tuesday — June 30, 2015 — will last 86,401, in order for timekeepers to account for the Earth’s gradually slowing rotation.
Because no one explains eccentric anachronisms better, here’s John Oliver on Sunday’s Last Week Tonight:
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As Oliver pointed out, at 11:59:59 p.m. UTC (also known as Greenwich Mean Time, or at 7:59:59 EST), the time will change to 11:59:60, before going on to 12:00:00 a.m.
Since 1820, the average day has increased by about two milliseconds in length, according to NASA.
Tuesday’s leap second will be just the fourth to be added since 2000 and the first since 2012. Because of atmospheric and seasonal variations, not every day is exactly the same length and leap seconds are added irregularly. From 1972 to 1999, they were added about once a year, but have since slowed in pace. Scientists don’t exactly know why.
As Bloomberg reported, leap seconds can create mini-Y2K scenarios, with technical glitches disrupting websites and financial systems.
A U.S. Naval Observatory officer told Bloomberg “about 10 percent of large-scale computer networks will encounter hiccups due to the leap second.’’ High-frequency traders, particularly in Asia, have had to scramble to recalibrate their clocks. Some markets, including Nasdaq, will even stop trading during the time surrounding the extra second.
These concerns, coupled with the ongoing Greek debt crisis, mean it’s not the best time for a mid-week time warp.
On a lighter note, Oliver and friends set up a website of humorous one-second clips to enjoy during the extra second.
Take advantage of it — we have no idea when the next leap second will arrive.
Famous Boston-area comedians:
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