My understanding is that the 'leap second' is used to re-synch the atomic
clocks with reality.  I believe it's needed becaust the earth is slowing
down inits rotation, not in its travel through the universe (althought
that's probably happening, too - entropy, you know :-)).


On Wed, 9 Oct 1996, Ted Ashton wrote:

> Thus it was written in the epistle of Art Bahrs,
> >
> > Thanks for all the great info on Leap Years :)
> >
> > Ted did a great job of humorously explaining it :)
> >
> > 'Course he forgot to mention that "Leap Second" that they had a year or so ago
> > :)
> >
> > Art Bahrs
> >
>
> Art,
>   Thanks for the compliment.  I thought about mentioning the leap second but
> wasn't sure enough of my explanation to put it in.  As I understand it, that is
> a bit of a different story and results actually from a slowing of the earth's
> travel through space, not to the year being a non-integer number of days long.
> Can anyone out ther confirm or deny that?
>
> Ted
> --
> Ted Ashton ([log in to unmask]) | From the Tom Swifty collection:
> Southern Adventist University    | "I haven't had any tooth decay YET", said
> Collegedale, TN  37315           | Tom precariously.
> (423) 238-2703                   |
>


Don  Harrington                         Boeing Commercial Airplane Group
(206) 931-4457 voice                    P. O. Box 3707 M/S 5J-34
(206) 931-9085 FAX                      Seattle, WA  98124-2207
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