If the Earth takes 365 days, 6 hours, 9 minutes, and 9.76 seconds , when was the last time the 9 minutes, and 9.76 seconds was corrected if ever???? Apologies if this has been covered somewhere else? Cheers Zubenel
In the leap years on the centuries divided by 400. It's also estimated that we might need an extra day on top of the current system in about 8000 years time, but might need to wait and see about that. Read about it somewhere on Wikipedia recently, doing some research on leap days for an article, so if you look into leap days or the Gregorian calendar system you'll find the answer.
Actually Phil Plait explains it all - all! - in his blog today. Go read!
Last edited by Blue Skies; 29-02-2012 at 11:37 PM.
The mean tropical year for 2000 was 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 45.1875+-0.0001 secs (ie 365.2421896698 solar days)
There is a leap second planned for Jun 30 2012.
Jacquie, Phil doesn't allow for the lengthening day in his blog.
By some rough calculations, over the next 2600 years the day year will lengthen due to tidal friction from the Moon, there will then be approximately 365.2421896698 solar days in the year, and the Gregorian calendar will be a day off.
I never implied Phil was perfect. And I mentioned that an 'extra' day on top of the 'regular' leap days might be needed in the future, as I read on a wiki page. Do we have to be sooo pedantic? please? I don't feel it's my duty to be 100% correct, because I'm not perfect and I don't know everything, never did and never will and have never said I did, rather my aim is to direct people in the right direction to find their own answers. sheesh.
Gentlemen,gentlemen , both your answers were superfluous. But thankyou anyway. I rest assured that there are great minds like your own out there that get paid to ponder and act on such things.
I don't feel it's my duty to be 100% correct, because I'm not perfect and I don't know everything, never did and never will and have never said I did, rather my aim is to direct people in the right direction to find their own answers. sheesh.
