SAN JOSE, Calif. – Is 2008 over yet? Wait a second.
As if this year didn’t feel long enough, the world’s timekeepers have made it longer. They’re adding one extra second to 2008, so that official clocks are in sync with the planet’s rotation.
Worldwide, the second is added at midnight Coordinated Universal Time, which is 7 p.m. in Maine.
The problem is that unlike atomic clocks, the earth’s rotational spin is slowing down, extending the solar day. The last leap second was on Dec. 31, 2005.
Over time, if clocks weren’t reset, future generations would face early morning sunsets – and they would cheer the New Year’s Eve ball dropping in the bright sunshine.
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