atomic clock

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For the First Time, We May Need a 'Negative Leap Second'

Study says the Earth's rotation has been slightly faster

(Newser) - Earth's changing spin is threatening to toy with our sense of time in an unprecedented way—but only for a second. For the first time in history, world timekeepers may have to consider subtracting a second from our clocks in a few years because the planet is rotating a...

Scientists Are Preparing to Redefine the Second

It won't change a thing in your daily routine, but it means a lot to physicists

(Newser) - The humble second—that little tick that occurs 86,400 times per day—is on the verge of being redefined for the first time in over half a century. In no way will this alter the length of workdays, happy hours, or anything else that motivates folks to keep an...

We're Getting an Extra Second on New Year's Eve

Leap second to be added to world's official clocks

(Newser) - New Year's Eve will be just a little bit longer this year. The world's official clocks will have a "leap second" added to them on Dec. 31 at 23:59:59 Coordinated Universal Time (6:59:59pm Eastern time), Space.com reports. Leap seconds are periodically added...

Atomic Clock Could Stay on Time for 15B Years

In theory, JILA clock can accurately tick longer than universe has been in existence

(Newser) - That incredibly accurate atomic clock we heard about last year just upped its game. The JILA timepiece, created in a joint venture between the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado Boulder, received upgrades that now have it (in theory, at least) faithfully ticking away for...

World's Next Timekeeper: Quantum Superclock?

Atomic clocks would meet quantum entanglement

(Newser) - Sick of missing appointments by milliseconds because of inaccurate atomic clocks? Researchers say they could use quantum physics to create a timekeeper so accurate it could help explain some of the mysteries of time itself. The "quantum superclock" would involve multiple atomic clocks, each in its own satellite orbiting...

World Gets a New Most-Accurate Clock

US timekeepers unveil new technology

(Newser) - The official US timekeepers are upgrading their systems. Since 1999, the National Institute of Standards and Technology has determined the time based on an atomic clock known as NIST-F1. Now there's a new and improved version of the clock—and it's "the most accurate clock of its...

Is This the Most Precise Clock on the Planet?

New atomic timepiece could help with navigation

(Newser) - A new timepiece the size of a dining-room table is being hailed as perhaps the world's most precise: It's "like measuring time over a hundred years to a precision of several nanoseconds," says Andrew Ludlow, co-author of a study behind what's being called the ytterbium...

World Gets Its Most Accurate Clock

Loses just one second in 50B years

(Newser) - Most clocks lose minutes over time and need to be reset—but if you're a scientist or an engineer, you need clocks that are just a bit more reliable. And now researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have created the world's two most accurate atomic...

'Leap Second' Brings Down Chunk of Web

Reddit, Gawker, FourSquare, and others go down

(Newser) - Who knew such a miniscule amount of time could have such a major effect? When we got an extra "leap second" Saturday—international timekeepers held atomic clocks back by one second to sync up with the Earth's rotation—it brought down a number of very high-profile websites, Wired...

World's Timekeepers: Kill 'Leap Seconds'

Debate rages over fundamental shift

(Newser) - Countries across the globe are divided—and it's only a matter of time. Some, including Britain and China, want to retain a special "leap second" occasionally added to the calendar to keep atomic clocks in line with the Earth's rotation. The US, France, Germany, and others, however,...

Time to Ditch Greenwich Mean Time: Scientists

France-based bureau calls for new system

(Newser) - Time may be almost up for Greenwich Mean Time. A panel of scientists in France has called for an end to the official measurement, which has been in place for more than a century, the Daily Mail reports. The International Bureau of Weights and Measures says we should depend on...

Team Proves Einstein's Relativity Affects Aging

Gravity's effect on time means your hair is aging faster than your feet

(Newser) - People age faster—very, very slightly faster—the higher above ground they live, according to scientists testing Einstein's theory of relativity. Researchers using ultra-precise atomic clocks found that time, as Einstein predicted, is slowed down by gravity even over minuscule distances. The scientists found that just moving a couple of...

Time Will Stand Still at Midnight New Year's Eve

Timekeepers make 2008 a second longer to compensate for Earth's wonky rotation

(Newser) - The last minute of the last hour of the last day of 2008 is getting an extension, LiveScience reports. The world's timekeepers are tacking an extra "leap second" onto the end of the year to allow super-accurate clocks to get back in synch with the planet's irregular but gradually...

Über-Precise Atomic Clocks Are Half-Past a Revolution

Smaller, cheaper, and mysterious

(Newser) - Forget the Swiss—the world's best clocks sit in a Colorado lab where a team of scientists is shaping them into über-precise gadgets with broad-reaching implications on medicine, navigation, and surveillance. The National Institute of Standards and Technology has built a clock the size of a grain of rice...

14 Stories