U.S. Naval Observatory public affairs officer Geoff Chester explained that time was historically based on the mean rotation of our planet relative to celestial bodies and the second was defined based on this reference frame.
What Would Happen If Leap Seconds Were Not Added To The World's Clocks?
If Leap Seconds were not added, there would be a difference of up to three minutes by 2100 and a 30-minute difference by 2700.
Although the additional second does not seem to have much effect on an average person, it can be critically important for some digital systems that are used today such as telecommunication. In July 2012, a leap second caused problem on popular websites and social media sites such as Reddit, Instagram, Pinterest and Netflix. Time discrepancies could also affect systems beyond Earth.
"Think about Juno in orbit around Jupiter," Jean Dickey, from Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has explained. "With all our antennas on Earth, an error in time means an error in Earth rotation, which would end up being a navigation error. It could really wreak havoc with the mission."
"Think about Juno in orbit around Jupiter," Jean Dickey, from Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has explained. "With all our antennas on Earth, an error in time means an error in Earth rotation, which would end up being a navigation error. It could really wreak havoc with the mission."
Source@techtimes
