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leap_seconds
Dates when leap seconds are inserted into Coordinated Universal Time
Overview
Leap seconds are "extra" seconds inserted (or removed) into Coordinated
Universal Time (UTC) to keep UTC in synch with Universal Time (UT = UT1)
which, in turn, is defined by the rotation of the Earth. Certain
guidelines define when leap seconds will occur:
- |UTC-UT1| > 0.7 seconds,
- after 23:59:59 on June 30 or December 31 only.
In the US, leap second announcements circulate from the
U.S. Naval Observatory.
The leap_seconds file simply lists the first date after which a leap
second has been inserted after the start of GPS time, January 1, 1980.
The file is ASCII. The format is straightforward: year month day.
Example
1982 1 1
1982 7 1
1983 7 1
1985 7 1
1988 1 1
1990 1 1
1991 1 1
1992 7 1
1993 7 1
1994 7 1
1996 1 1
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leap_seconds.html
October 10, 2000
Steve Hilla