[fitsbits] Leap Second questionnaire

[Peter Bunclark]

Arnold Rots wrote:

>At the risk of appearing flippant, it would be a lost minute, not a
>leap minute ;-)
>
>  - Arnold
>
Since leap seconds can be added or subtracted, then by extension leap 
minutes
could be negative as well as positive...

Pete.

>Steve Allen wrote:
>
>>On Mon 2002-06-24T16:41:23 +0000, Rob Seaman hath writ:
>>
>>>Aside from the staggering change of perspective resulting from such
>>>a situation, much astronomical software currently assumes that UTC is
>>>an approximation to GMT and the cost in time and money of updating this
>>>software would rival, if not dwarf, the expense of Y2K to the community.
>>>
>>At the risk of seeming flippant, I post part of my response to IERS
>>
>>...
>>I propose that UTC should stay as it is.
>>I propose that in about 30 years, when TAI and UTC differ by
>>exactly one minute, that civil time be changed from UTC to TAI.
>>The entire world can hold a colossal leap minute party to celebrate
>>the event.
>>
>>It's not to early to start planning that party.
>>
>>--
>>Steve Allen          UCO/Lick Observatory       Santa Cruz, CA 95064
>>sla at ucolick.org      Voice: +1 831 459 3046     http://www.ucolick.org/~sla
>>PGP: 1024/E46978C5   F6 78 D1 10 62 94 8F 2E    49 89 0E FE 26 B4 14 93
>>_______________________________________________
>>fitsbits mailing list
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>>http://listmgr.cv.nrao.edu/mailman/listinfo/fitsbits
>>
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Arnold H. Rots                                Chandra X-ray Science Center
>Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory                tel:  +1 617 496 7701
>60 Garden Street, MS 81                              fax:  +1 617 495 7356
>Cambridge, MA 02138                             arots at head-cfa.harvard.edu
>USA                                     http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~arots/
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>