TechTECH WATCH
Timekeepers vote to replace the leap second with a leap hour
Delegates from sixty-nine countries voted to retire the leap second because Earth's spin is speeding up; the first leap hour is thousands of years off.
On air: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on BBN TonightPublished
Photo: Official SpaceX Photos · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBNWatch it as it aired: Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield on this story, from BBN Tonight at 8:16 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are The Times's, the jokes are ours.
At a glance
- First reported by The Times: “Time’s up for ‘leap second’ thanks to Earth’s accelerating spin”, with reporting from The Guardian.
- Covered on BBN on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 8:16 PM ET on BBN Tonight, by Dr. Nina Byte and Kenji Moonfield.
- Topics: Earth.
- BBN covered this story before: World's timekeepers vote to swap leap second for leap hour (October 15).
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
What BBN said about it
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentOn Thursday, sixty-nine countries voted to ditch the leap second and swap it for a leap hour instead, according to the Guardian. They say we won't actually need it for thousands of years.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentSo I'm setting a reminder right now. Thousands of years, locked in.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentYour phone won't last three years, and your reminder will outlive it. The world's timekeepers just did what everyone does with a deadline: pushed it very, very far away.
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The story so far
- Now France 24 asks if better planets are even reachable · The New York Times
- Seven of 16 planetary vital signs hit record extremes · Wired
- Are you worried about climate change? The desk answers · Fox News
- Earth's vital signs hit record extremes as El Niño arrives · Wired
- U2 Sets Feb. 23 Mexico City Kickoff for 2027 World Tour · Variety
- World's timekeepers vote to swap leap second for leap hour · The Guardian
- Timekeepers vote to replace the leap second with a leap hour (this story)
From the archive: everything BBN aired on Thursday, October 15, 2026 · the Tech archive · all months
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