World Time to Stop Adjusting for Earth's Rotation in 2027
World time will stop being adjusted for Earth's rotation starting May 20, 2027, with the adoption of a continuous UTC scale, eliminating the need for leap seconds. This change aims to prevent potential digital system failures caused by the increasing speed of Earth's rotation.
Consensus
- The transition to a continuous UTC scale will begin on May 20, 2027.
- The change will eliminate the need for leap seconds.
- The decision was made by the General Conference on Weights and Measures in Versailles.
- The new system will allow a maximum difference of 3600 seconds (one hour) between UTC and UT1.
- The shift is due to the Earth's increasing rotational speed, which could require negative leap seconds.
- Leap seconds have been added 27 times since 1972 to align UTC with Earth's rotation.
- The change aims to prevent disruptions in digital systems and critical infrastructure.
- The new system will ensure long-term continuity of UTC for several centuries.
- The decision was made in response to concerns about potential system failures from negative leap seconds.
Points of divergence
- The new system will allow a maximum divergence of 3600 seconds, referred to as a 'leap hour,' but regular hourly adjustments are not expected; correction will only occur when the divergence becomes too large. — riamo
- The difference between astronomical and atomic time will reach one hour only after thousands of years, and by then current time measurement methods may already be outdated. — fontanka
- The maximum difference between UT1 and UTC will be 3600 seconds, ensuring long-term continuity of UTC for several centuries. — vesti
- The decision to cancel leap seconds was made because Earth's rotation began accelerating in the mid-2010s. — tg_tass_agency
Coverage (4 sources)
- World time will stop adjusting with leap seconds starting in 2027 — РИАМО
- Scientists canceled the "leap second" that tied world time to Earth's rotation. Changes will take effect on May 20... — ТАСС (Telegram)
- Time has gone astray from Earth. World time will be counted differently — Фонтанка
- World time will be decoupled from Earth's rotation starting May 20, 2027 — Вести