About Leap Seconds
Did you notice? The last leap second was added at 23:59:60 UTC on June 30, 2012. See table below for detailed information.
Earth is too slow for our highly precise atomic clocks
©iStockphoto.com/kvkirillov
What are leap seconds?
They last only a heartbeat and go unnoticed by most - but without leap seconds our clocks would run too fast.
About every one and a half years, one extra second is added to Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) and clocks around the world. This leap second accounts for the fact that the Earth's rotation around its own axis, which determines the length of a day, slows down over time while the atomic clocks we use to measure time tick away at almost the same speed over millions of years.
So, leap seconds are a means to adjust our clocks to the Earth's slowing rotation.
How many leap seconds have been added so far?
Since 1972, a total of 24 seconds have been added. This means that the Earth has slowed down 24 seconds compared to atomic time since then.
This does not mean that days are 24 seconds longer nowadays. Only the days on which the leap seconds are inserted have 86,401 instead of the usual 86,400 seconds.
Leap second 2012
Click on Corresponding times to find out when the leap
second was added to the time at your location.
| UTC Date | UTC Time | Local time world-wide |
|---|---|---|
| 2012-06-30 | 23:59:57 | Corresponding times |
| 2012-06-30 | 23:59:58 | Corresponding times |
| 2012-06-30 | 23:59:59 | Corresponding times |
| 2012-06-30 | 23:59:60 | Leap second added |
| 2012-07-01 | 00:00:00 | Corresponding times |
| 2012-07-01 | 00:00:01 | Corresponding times |
| 2012-07-01 | 00:00:02 | Corresponding times |
Can we live without leap seconds?
When are leap seconds added?
Leap seconds are inserted at the end of the last day in June or December. When that is the case, UTC ticks from 23:59:59 to 23:59:60 before reverting to 00:00:00 (in the 12-hour format, this corresponds to 11:59:59 pm - 11:59:60 pm - 12:00:00 midnight). When that happens the last minute of the month has 61 instead of 60 seconds.
The last time a leap second was added to UTC was at 23:59:60 UTC on June 30, 2012 (see table). According to the International Earth Rotation and Reference System Service (IERS), no leap second will be introduced in June 2013. The difference between UTC and the International Atomic Time (UTC-TAI) from July 1, 2012 is -35 sec.
Who decides when leap seconds are added?
The IERS observes the Earth's rotation and compares it to atomic time. When the difference between the two approaches 0.9 seconds, they order a leap second to be added worldwide.
Check our Time Zone News for updates about leap seconds.
More information
- The Leap Second explained
- The Future of Leap Seconds
- Why Leap Years are Used
- Time Zone News
- List of countries that observe Daylight Saving Time in 2013
- Time Zone Abbreviations
Related links
- The World Clock – Current time all over the world
- Personal World Clock
- Meeting Planner
- Time Zone Converter
- Event Time Announcer/Fixed Time – Show local times worldwide for your event.