World timekeepers vote to replace the leap second with a leap hour

Summary

Delegates from 69 countries voted at a conference of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in France to end the leap second and replace it with a leap hour. Nature reports that the change takes effect immediately. The Guardian reports the vote took place on Thursday and that the first leap hour may not occur for thousands of years, because Earth's rotation is slowing only gradually. Scientific American reports that under the new system Earth's rotation and official time can drift out of alignment by a full hour.

Timeline

1. Nature

   15 Oct 2026, 00:00 UTCSource ↗

   Nature reports that sixty-nine 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 new "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 on Thursday at a conference in France of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures to replace the leap second with a leap hour, and that the first leap hour is not likely to happen for thousands of years.