Leap Seconds
Leap seconds are adjustments made to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) in order to keep it synchronized with mean solar time. UTC is the primary time standard used across the world, and it is based on the highly accurate atomic clocks. However, the rotation of the Earth is not perfectly constant, and it can vary due to various factors such as tidal forces and earthquakes. As a result, UTC can drift away from the mean solar time, which is based on the Earth's rotation. To keep UTC in sync with mean solar time, leap seconds are added to UTC periodically. A leap second is an extra second added to the UTC time scale at the end of a specific day. This adjustment ensures that the difference between UTC and mean solar time does not exceed 0.9 seconds. Leap seconds are typically added on either June 30 or December 31, but they can also be added on other dates if necessary.
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