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2017 New Year Delayed – by One Second | Principia Scientific Intl.
It might feel like there is never enough time, but Earth has gained 27 seconds since the 1970s - an astronomical quirk which is causing a headache for timekeepers. On New Year's Eve, experts at the National Physical Laboratory(NPL) in Teddington, London, will add a leap second to UK time to account for the fact that the Earth is now spinning more slowly. Immediately before midnight, dials will read 11:59:60 as clocks around the world pause for a second to allow the Earth’s rotation to catch up with atomic time. The first leap second was added in 1972, so it will be the 27th time it has been added to clocks in history, meaning that everyone has gained 27 seconds over the past 44 years. Dr Leon Lobo, of NPL's time and frequency group, said: “Most people won’t even notice, although everyone will probably be celebrating New Year a second too early this year.