Re: Leap Seconds

[Kilgallen@eisner.decus.org.nospam (Larry Kilgallen)]

In article <9f2ue6$hcm$1@nh.pace.co.uk>, "Marin David Condic" <marin.condic.auntie.spam@pacemicro.com> writes:
> As I said, I could easily imagine situations in which leap-seconds are going
> to be a big deal. You don't even need to be going to Saturn for it to be a
> problem. Much relative navigation depends on very accurate timekeeping and
> the speed of light. (186000 miles/second - it's not just a good idea, its
> the law! :-) For relative timekeeping, you can throw out leap seconds and be
> done with it. However, its a problem for absolute timekeeping. If someone
> outside your system is giving you a time that has leap-seconds included in
> it, then you need to know how many or you can't really be in synch - except
> in a relative sense. Just like not counting leap years, right?

Leap years (adding a day) compensate for the revolution of the earth
around the sun, so we don't end up ((365/2)*(4/3)) years later with snow
on the 4th of July in New York City.

But I thought leap seconds compensated for the rotation of the earth,
rather than its revolution around the sun, since otherwise it would
eventually (12*60*60 leap seconds later) be very bright at midnight,
local time at the equator.

If I am going to Saturn I should not care about the rotation of the
earth until I return.