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[deleted] t1_iycb2xb wrote

[deleted]

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mikeholczer t1_iycbvlc wrote

There can be as much as a second difference between GMT and UTC times, which is why we’ve been adding leap seconds ever few years to UTC. Starting in 2035, it’s been determined that we will stop adding leap seconds to UTC, so at that point UTC and GMT times will start to drift more, but still likely only by a few seconds. I don’t believe it’s been determined what we’ll do when the gap becomes greater.

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lurk876 t1_iycqs3q wrote

> Starting in 2035, it’s been determined that we will stop adding leap seconds to UTC

I did not know that. I am glad that they are going away. Leap seconds are annoying to deal with.

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mikeholczer t1_iycteud wrote

It’s a very recent development. The vote or whatever was a couple weeks ago.

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GuruBuckaroo t1_iyd85qf wrote

The gap may never become wider. Last year it was determined that a leap second should be deducted from UTC for the first time, but there was no precedent on how to do so. This was the driving factor for the removal of Leap Seconds overall.

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CrispyDairy OP t1_iycbg82 wrote

I see! Thanks a lot, I've just been really confused when I've seen them used in different places.

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Chr153m4 t1_iycfpoo wrote

Maybe nice to know, UTC is used in aviation worldwide, the aircraft and air traffic control systems as well as schedules, weather reports, etc. all work with UTC, so there cannot be any confusion if flights cross time zones. You never notice because on the ticket you obviously have local times, but behind the scenes it's all UTC, everywhere.

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