[LEAPSECS] Real April Fools' Joke: GMT Abolished

[Rob Seaman]

Hi Demetrios,

Sorry you couldn't make it to our session at the DC AAS meeting in January.  We were very glad to see so many others from USNO.

On Apr 3, 2014, at 11:00 AM, Matsakis, Demetrios <demetrios.matsakis at usno.navy.mil> wrote:


> http://www.timeanddate.com/news/time/paris-meridian-gmt-obsolete.html


The links to the previous years' efforts are pretty good, too.  (Though I would have thought the essence of an April Fool's joke was not to announce it as a joke ;-)

Regarding the prime meridian, can you comment on how a similar issue would be avoided should leap seconds cease?  Presumably USNO, the ITU-R, or somebody has investigated the technical and legal implications? *

It is generally not considered to be a good thing when a public policy proposal resembles a practical joke.  On the other hand, as one can see, even in jokes there is an assumed equivalence between civil timekeeping and mean solar time.  GMT and the concept of the prime meridian have been jointly tied together since the 19th century.  UTC is the modern realization of GMT.  If UTC is redefined, then what?

Rob
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* see http://www.cacr.caltech.edu/futureofutc/2011/preprints/04_AAS_11-662_Seago.pdf