F-ckin Leap Seconds, how do they work?

Steve Allen sla at ucolick.org
Wed Jul 4 01:28:13 UTC 2012


On 2012 Jul 3, at 18:13, Vadim Antonov wrote:
> PS. I would vote for using TAI instead of UTC as the
> non-relativistic time base in computer systems.

A problem with the use of TAI is that the BIPM and CCTF (who make
TAI) expressed strongly that they do not want it used as a system
time in document CCTF09-27
http://www.bipm.org/cc/CCTF/Allowed/18/CCTF_09-27_note_on_UTC-ITU-R.pdf
so strongly that they end by contemplating the discontinuation
of TAI.

Unless there is international agreement that a time scale should
be used, and support of the agency making that time scale, there
will be trouble.  The only way out of those constraints is to have
the wherewithal of the US DoD or the Chinese government who simply
asserted that the GPS system time and Beidou system time would be
something other than those international standards.
                                                                                
--
Steve Allen               <sla at ucolick.org>              WGS-84 (GPS)
UCO/Lick Observatory      Natural Sciences II, Room 165  Lat  +36.99855
University of California  Voice: +1 831 459 3046         Lng -122.06015
Santa Cruz, CA 95064      http://www.ucolick.org/~sla/   Hgt +250 m





More information about the NANOG mailing list