[LEAPSECS] timekeeping requirements

[Brian Garrett]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Allen" <sla at ucolick.org>
To: "Leap Second Discussion List" <leapsecs at leapsecond.com>
Sent: Monday, March 03, 2008 11:15 AM
Subject: Re: [LEAPSECS] timekeeping requirements



> On Mon 2008-03-03T11:47:30 -0700, Rob Seaman hath writ:

>> Something different to discuss regarding real-world timekeeping

>> requirements.  - Rob

>

>>> With an estimated two billion people worldwide dependent upon new moon

>>> sightings to establish the timeline of lunar months and festivals,

>

> My expectation that Allah will strike me down for failing to celebrate

> Ramadan on the right day is about equally unmotivating as the notion

> that a leap second will cause planes to fall out of the sky.  I expect

> both systems to be forgiving of a little bit of slop in the

> implementation.

>

Islam has provisions for not being able to see the hilal due to cloudy 
weather, or being uncertain as to the moon's visibility on the day Ramadan 
is supposed to start.  You simply count 30 days from whenever the preceding 
month (Shawwal) began, and start your fast on the following day.

Given that these same 2 billion people who are "dependent" on naked-eye 
sighting of the full moon already have to deal with one or two days' 
uncertainty in the exact moment of visibility--not to mention the fact that 
the International Date Line already prevents all the world's Muslims from 
starting their observances on the same calendar day--I fail to see how 
precise atomic timekeeping helps them out that much.  DUT1 can't possibly be 
a factor for a timekeeping system intentionally designed to avoid the need 
for advanced observation methods.


Brian Garrett