[LEAPSECS] a modest proposal

[M. Warner Losh]

In message: <alpine.LSU.1.00.0803281141210.14814 at hermes-1.csi.cam.ac.uk>
            Tony Finch <dot at dotat.at> writes:

: On Thu, 27 Mar 2008, Steve Allen wrote:

: >

: > Upon further consideration, I'm not sure I agree.  For the purposes of

: > satellite navigation there is not need for the terrestrial reference

: > frame to be tightly tied to the celestial reference frame.  Achieving

: > accuracy of 1 meter certainly doesn't care about rapid changes of

: > earth orientation parameters with respect to the quasars, only with

: > respect to the satellites.  So it could be argued that the need for

: > VLBI campaigns would become a scientific extravagance no longer

: > relevant to civil life.

: 

: Is there enough coupling between Earth rotation and the orbiting

: satellites to make a difference between their reference frame and one

: derived from quasars?


I don't think so.  Leapseconds are a an evil.  If they are a good
evil, it comes at a high price.  Evilness to keep DUT1 < 1s is all in
the eyes of the bolder.  As someone who has been ill-treated by
leapseconds, I fail to see why they are necessary in a society that
accepts > 1hr deviation from solar mean time...  Sure, they help keep
us in sync with the celestial motions, but at what price?

Warner