[LEAPSECS] USNO press release

[Jonathan E. Hardis]

I don’t disagree with your interpretation of UTC, but there’s no error in the announcement.  The leap second is added at 23:59:59.  While the leap second itself is 23:59:60, it’s during the interval 23:59:59 when the logic is changed for what the next second should be labelled.

     - Jonathan


> On Jul 10, 2016, at 3:39 PM, Paul Hirose <cfuhb-acdgw at earthlink.net> wrote:
> 
> On 2016-07-08 12:16, I wrote:
>> Is there a mistake in this announcement?
>> 
>> 
>> http://www.usno.navy.mil/USNO/tours-events/2016_Leap_Second%20Press%20Release%20-%20Final.pdf
>> 
>> 
>> WASHINGTON, DC -- On December 31, 2016, a “leap second” will be added to
>> the world’s clocks at 23 hours, 59 minutes and 59 seconds Coordinated
>> Universal Time (UTC).
> 
> The mistake is in the first sentence. Nothing unusual happens at 23:59:59. One second later, at 23:59:60, the leap second begins. In other words, UTC will do this:
> 
> 23:59:59.9
> 23:59:60.0
> 23:59:60.1
> ...
> 23:59:60.9
> 00:00:00.0
> 
> I have informed the author of the press release.
> 
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