December 31st ends at 23:59:60

[Steve]

How can that be... 61 seconds in the last minute of 2005? Turns out we need a leap second.

The extra snippet will be added to atomic clocks at midnight Coordinated Universal Time - the same as UK winter time - the US National Institute of Standards and Technology announced this week. Accordingly, said clocks will read 23:59:60 before rolling over to 00:00:00. The institute declared: "Enjoy New Year's Eve a second longer. You can toot your horn an extra second this year."

Although leap seconds could, if required, be deducted (a "negative leap second"), they have always been added "reflecting the Earth's general slowing trend due to tidal breaking". The decision as to whether a leap second is needed - and the criterion is that universal timekeeping should be within 0.9 seconds of the Earth's rotation - is decided by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service.

[Lester Haines' boredom buster]

[jonjayal]

Oh well.. that's it. I'll definitely be Pi$$ed by the time it hits 2006 in that case. I mean, if it was finishing at 23:59:59 i'd have been ok

[ajbrun]

I sometimes read stories like this one on my phone at night, and decide to post about it the next day, only I usually forget .