[LEAPSECS] nails in the coffin of mean solar time

[M. Warner Losh]

In message: <5BB956F6-5023-4B86-8459-7D9E330FE87B at noao.edu>
            Rob Seaman <seaman at noao.edu> writes:

: Bzzzt!  See above.  The sun rises and the sun sets.  QED -  


And the sun will rise and set with DUT1 > 1s too.  It all depends on
how you define 'mean' and what the acceptable error in your current
estimator of that mean is.  Civilization, at least in the USA, has
shown that it can tolerate over an hour and a half deviation from mean
local solar time (Time Zones and Daylight Savings Time show this).

UTC is one possible realization of a mean solar time.  So is GMT.
Even with tinkering, the errors between my wrist watch and local mean
solar time are going to be >> DUT1 in my lifetime, or my son's
lifetime, even if leap seconds were abolished today.

Warner