[fitswcs] History question about "UTC"

[Patrick Wallace]

On Wed, 28 Mar 2007, Steve Allen wrote:

> ...for further oral histories I would also direct historians at
> Seidelmann and McCarthy.

I asked Dennis McCarthy about this and he replied:

> ...I suspect that the abbreviation follows from the suite of UT versions
> that were available, i.e. UT0, UT1, UT2 ... UTC.  Recall that UT2 was an
> attempt to arrive at an "astronomical" uniform time before we settled on
> Caesium.
>
> I do know that "Coordinated Universal Time" was first used to describe
> the version of UT that RGO and USNO "coordinated."  It began when they
> had the idea that the changes made to clocks (quartz crystals at the
> time) to bring them closer to the astronomical time (UT2) should somehow
> be coordinated between the two observatories.  Hence the name,
> "Coordinated Universal Time." Up to that time individual observatories
> adjusted clocks as they saw fit in order to bring them into alignment
> with UT2.  It also coincided with the coordination agreements between
> USNO and RGO regarding the almanacs.
>
> I have no reason to believe the wikipedia urban legend.

He says he may dig further, and I shall forward Steve's contribution to
him.


Patrick Wallace
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Space Science & Technology Department        Internet:  P.T.Wallace at rl.ac.uk
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory                    Tel:       +44-1235-445372
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