Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 1 hr ago
International timekeepers set to vote on ending leap seconds
International timekeepers are due to vote on ending leap seconds at a meeting in Versailles near Paris this week.
Leap seconds are occasional one-second adjustments that keep atomic clocks aligned with Earth’s uneven rotation.
Earth’s spin varies because of factors including the Moon’s pull and shifts in water and ice, while atomic clocks provide a steadier measure of time.
The adjustment has been made 27 times since 1972.
But leap seconds can disrupt systems that depend on precise time, including data servers, financial trading systems and power grids; past adjustments have caused outages.
The 69 member states will vote on the proposal Thursday, but the outcome is not stated.
International timekeepers are due to vote on a proposal to eliminate leap seconds.
Leap seconds keep Coordinated Universal Time partly aligned with Earth’s uneven rotation.
The seconds have been added to global clocks 27 times since 1972.
They can disrupt computer systems and other infrastructure that depend on precise timekeeping.
- Who
- The 69 member states of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures are due to vote.
- What
- They will vote on a resolution to eliminate leap seconds.
- When
- Thursday; the article was published on October 13, 2026.
- Where
- Versailles, near Paris.
- Why
- Leap seconds can cause problems for data servers, financial trading systems and other infrastructure that rely on precise timekeeping.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Leap seconds began being inserted into global clocks.
A leap second crashed Reddit and LinkedIn and knocked out Qantas’ booking system.
A leap second caused brief outages or delays for some Cloudflare customers.
The 69 member states of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures are due to vote on a resolution to eliminate leap seconds.
- Leap seconds added
- 27 times since 1972
- Voting body
- 69 member states of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures
- Meeting location
- Versailles, near Paris
- Most recent leap second mentioned
- End of 2016
- Vote proposal
- Eliminate the leap second
What people are saying
Earth does not rotate at a steady pace but wobbles, essentially making it a “lousy” clock
We have to make a choice on whether or not the most important thing is a sense of time given by objects in the sky directly above, say, the Greenwich longitude
Or you decide to follow what you believe are more stable, laboratory, man-made clocks
a major source of pain
Sources
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