Leap seconds have helped keep clocks synchronized with Earth’s rotation, but their time is now over – here’s why

If you think about leap years, it may seem like humans have a very odd way of measuring time. Sometimes, timekeepers have even added extra seconds to clocks.

By: Vahe Peroomian, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: October 8, 2026

Words: 1,657

Last Updated: 2 days, 14 hours ago

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By Vahe Peroomian, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

You’re probably used to the month of February having an extra day every four years, during the leap year. Timekeepers added that extra leap day because Earth completes one orbit around the Sun in about 365 and one-quarter days. If we didn’t add leap days, the equinoxes and solstices that mark the beginning of seasons would occur later, slowly shifting the days on which …

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