atomic clocks

4 Stories

Scientists Aren't Sure Why Earth Is Rotating Faster

It's a change from the past billion years or so

(Newser) - June 29 was the shortest day in about 60 years. You couldn’t possibly have noticed, but scientists at the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service certainly did. Per IFL Science, the Earth completed its daily rotation that day in exactly 1.59 milliseconds under than 24 hours. That’...

Our Days Are a Smidge Longer Than They Used to Be
Our Days 
Are a Smidge
Longer Than
They Used to Be
study says

Our Days Are a Smidge Longer Than They Used to Be

Which we know thanks to some meticulous ancient astronomers

(Newser) - The meticulous work of ancient astronomers has led to a modern observation: Our days are longer than they used to be. Not that you'd notice: The new research in the Proceedings of the Royal Society A shows that it takes the Earth a tiny bit longer these days to...

'Leap Second' Brings Down Chunk of Web

Reddit, Gawker, FourSquare, and others go down

(Newser) - Who knew such a miniscule amount of time could have such a major effect? When we got an extra "leap second" Saturday—international timekeepers held atomic clocks back by one second to sync up with the Earth's rotation—it brought down a number of very high-profile websites, Wired...

You Get an Extra Second Tonight

It's time to add a 'leap second,' so don't waste it

(Newser) - Good news for people who didn't get enough sleep this week. Tonight you'll have an extra second to snooze. That's because a "leap second" will be added to the ultra-precise atomic clocks kept by international timekeepers. The Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service is tasked with...

4 Stories
Most Read on Newser