A01: Universal Coordinated Time: The International Reference Time Scale and Possible Redefinition

Monday, August 18  08:00-09:00,  Room #18

Session Chairs: Felicitas Arias, Ronald Beard

As the Earth rotation slows, additional seconds are required more frequently. Over several centuries, the rate of correction will become problematic. It is expected that two leap seconds will be required every year by the 22nd century. The actual number of leap seconds to keep track of time would become unwieldy by current standards in the future. Thus a new method of using UTC may become necessary to cope better than current systems do. There are proposal being offered to redefine UTC and abolish leap seconds. The result would be a major change in civil timekeeping. This sessions focuses on the time-scale issues of UTC and possible redefinition of the time standards.

8:00  A01.1   THE IERS AND ADJUSTMENTS TO COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME

B. Luzum

U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington, DC, United States


8:20  A01.2   COMMENTS ON THE LEAP SECOND DEBATE

D. Matsakis

US Naval Observatory, Washington DC, United States


8:40  A01.3   IMPACT OF LEAP SECOND INSERTION IN UTC ON ASTRONOMY AND THE DISCUSSION IN THE IAU WORKING GROUP ON THE REDEFINITION OF UTC

M. Hosokawa

NICT, Tokyo, Japan