Timekeepers replace leap seconds with a leap hour

Summary

Timekeepers have officially gotten rid of the leap second and introduced a leap hour instead, Smithsonian magazine reports. Since 1972, experts have added 27 seconds to Coordinated Universal Time to keep it aligned with Earth’s rotation, though the fix has been imperfect, according to Smithsonian. Al Jazeera’s headline describes the clock as ticking for the leap second and asks why timekeeping could change forever.

Timeline

1. Al Jazeera

   15 Oct 2026, 07:16 UTCSource ↗

   Al Jazeera asks why timekeeping could change forever as the clock ticks for the leap second.

2. Smithsonian

   15 Oct 2026, 20:43 UTCSource ↗

   Smithsonian reports that timekeepers have officially gotten rid of the leap second and introduced a leap hour, noting that 27 seconds have been added to Coordinated Universal Time since 1972 to keep it aligned with Earth’s rotation.