Wait a second … 2016 is going to be that much longer
Posted December 30, 2016 9:08 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
If you haven’t had enough of 2016, you’re in luck! The year is going to last one second longer.
International timekeepers are adding what’s called a “leap second” to New Year’s Eve.
The extra second will happen on Dec. 31 at 6:59 p.m. Eastern Time (11:59 p.m. and 59 seconds Universal Time).
Timekeepers sometimes add another second or two to match the Earth’s rotation, which is slowing down.
The Associated Press reports that the U.S. Naval Observatory says the tides’ interaction with the moon and other factors, including warmer waters from El Nino, cause Earth to take longer to go full circle each day.
This will be the first leap second since July 1, 2015.
With files from the Associated Press
