The case for the 59-second minute and why it could wreck us
Apr 14, 2022
3 minutes
BY CAROLINE DELBERT & DAISY HERNANDEZ
that it never really quite is, not exactly. That number is an excellent average, but the Earth’s rate of rotation is in constant flux. After 2020 clocked some of the fastest days on record since 1960, scientists are considering subtracting a second from an upcoming calendar with a 59-second minute, or negative leap second, to align our UTC (the Coordinated Universal Time, used to set clocks around the world) with the time set by the rotation of
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