How an accelerating Earth led experts to adopt the leap hour

Live updates

1. 2h ago

   Global Timekeepers Vote to Replace Leap Seconds with Leap Hour

   Global timekeepers voted to end leap seconds starting from May 2027 following concerns over Earth's faster spin and the rising risk of a negative leap second. Delegates from 69 countries meeting in France agreed to adopt a leap hour to protect digital infrastructure and computer systems from failures caused by non-standard minute lengths. Under the new system, official time and Earth's rotation will gradually drift apart until the accumulated difference reaches a full hour over a span of centuries.

   Why it matters

   Leap seconds have long posed a technical hazard for software, financial networks, and critical digital infrastructure due to their unpredictable nature and potential to trigger system crashes akin to a Y2K bug. By shifting to a leap hour framework, international standards bodies aim to eliminate these risks. This transition severs the traditional link where the sun dictates the exact length of a day, setting up a long-term divergence between atomic clocks and planetary rotation.

   What is confirmed

   • Global timekeepers voted on October 15 to end leap seconds starting from May 2027.
   • Delegates from 69 countries voted at a conference in France to replace the leap second.
   • The leap hour is designed to protect digital infrastructure and computer systems from struggling with non-standard minute lengths.
   • Under the new system, Earth's rotation and official time would gradually drift apart until they differ by a full hour.

   What to watch next

   • Implementation details and technical protocols ahead of the May 2027 rollout
   • Further scientific assessments detailing how the leap hour will be inserted into global atomic time
   Sources used for this update (19)

   1. www.theguardian.com — AI godfather Geoffrey Hinton: ‘We’re creating alien beings. I’m willing to be selfish and choose humans’ | Donald Trump
   2. The Guardian — How an accelerating Earth led experts to adopt the leap hour
   3. The Telegraph — The sun will no longer dictate the length of a day
   4. Scientific American — Scientists vote to end leap seconds, redefining how the world keeps time
   5. Al Jazeera — Clock ticking for leap second: Why timekeeping could change forever
   6. Smithsonian Magazine — It's Official: Timekeepers Have Gotten Rid of the Leap Second—and Introduced the Leap Hour Instead
   7. WIRED — Pour One Out for the Leap Second
   8. The New York Times — The Leap Second Has Been Canceled
   9. New Scientist — Scientists have just voted to abolish leap seconds
   10. goodideazoo.com — 2026년 10월 16일 해외 뉴스 모음: 챗GPT 크롬 탭 열람 외 8건 - Good Idea Zoo
   11. The Register — Time Lords kill leap seconds, before they become the new Y2K bug
   12. gardnermagazine.com — Local News Greater Gardner MA Holidays – Gardner News Magazine: Local News & Articles in Gardner MA
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