World timekeepers vote to replace leap seconds with a leap hour

Summary

World timekeepers have voted to replace the leap second with a leap hour. Nature reports that the change takes effect immediately, while The Guardian says delegates from 69 countries voted Thursday at a conference in France and that the first leap hour may not occur for thousands of years. Scientific American says the new system will allow Earth’s rotation and official time to fall out of alignment by a full hour.

Timeline

1. Nature

   15 Oct 2026, 00:00 UTCSource ↗

   Nature reports that governments voted to abolish the leap second immediately and replace it with a leap hour.

2. Scientific American

   15 Oct 2026, 12:40 UTCSource ↗

   Scientific American reports that the leap-hour system will allow Earth’s rotation and official time to fall out of alignment by a full hour.

3. The Guardian

   15 Oct 2026, 16:16 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that delegates from 69 countries voted Thursday at a conference in France to replace the leap second with a leap hour, which it says may not occur for thousands of years.