People Are Convinced That This Leap Second Is Basically a Y2K Disaster Waiting to Happen

On Tuesday we get an extra second due to the slowing down of the Earth's rotation

By Jenna Mullins Jun 30, 2015 6:38 PMTags
One second on the clockGetty Images

If you were to log onto Twitter right now and click the #LeapSecond trending topic, it might look a little like this:

Yeah, some people are panicking a bit. Why? Because apparently adding an extra second to the last second of June will result in a Y2K-level disaster.*

(*Yes, we know that Y2K didn't actually happen. 2000 went off without a hitch, or at least without any falling airplanes, worldwide blackouts and the end of days.)

The atomic clocks used to keep the planet's official time will stay on 23:59:60 for one second before switching to midnight to compensate for the slight slowdown in the Earth's rotation. This is not the first Leap Second—the last one was in 2012, but it is the first one generating an overload of hype and anxiety. We blame Twitter.

"In every-day life, this extra second has practically no importance. However, in every field where exact time is needed (e.g. astronomy, navigation, spaceflight, but also computer networks for stock markets or energy supply, and much more) this second is of great importance," Wolfgang Dick, a International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service spokesman, told USA Today.

Last time we had a Leap Second, lots of websites had glitches or even full-out crashes and airlines were hit with flight delays. The Stock Market can experience problems as well because trades can happen in just one second. Basically, computer glitches are common with Leap Seconds, but companies like Google insist they are prepared for any interruptions.

Getty Images

So yeah, the Leap Second isn't exactly harmless. S--t will go wrong, probably. But not in a "the world is ending, make peace with your gods" kind of way. So everyone just stay calm. We will get to July 1 just fine.

"If we cannot manage to make our systems handle a leap second, then we have bigger problems," Udo Seidel of Amadeus Software told Wired.

Someone please relay that message to anyone preparing to head into their bunkers at any moment. Meanwhile, this is how everyone will be spending their extra second:

What will you do with your extra second? Us? We're going stare at this GIF for a second longer than usual, which means we'll be looking at it for a full 21 seconds:

Vote Idris Elba for Leap Second President!*

(That's not a thing, but we're trying to invent it. Spread the word.)