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The international assembly decided to abandon the leap second forever

For the average person, time flows in a measured fashion, and most people give little thought to how it can affect their lives. However, it is worth knowing that time on our planet is measured in two systems – UTC and GPS. UTC time is somewhat “behind” GPS time. In order to equalize both systems, since 1972 the practice of adding so-called leap seconds has been widely used. A leap second refers to a one-second adjustment applied to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to account for the difference between accurate atomic time and inaccurate observed solar time, which varies due to irregularities and long-term slowing of the planet’s rotation.

The General Conference on Weights and Measures recently decided to abandon it. This decision is a historic one. On the practical side, the adoption of the new norm will help avoid problems in industries such as telecommunications, communications, and navigation, where the continuous flow of time is extremely important. The decision, for which representatives of 59 countries voted, will come into force in 2035 or earlier if a number of conditions are ensured. Russia voted against it – the Russian delegation insisted that it should take effect from 2040.

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