Leap second: Difference between revisions

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Between 1972 and 2020, a leap second has been inserted about every 21 months, on average. However, the spacing is quite irregular and apparently increasing: there were no leap seconds in the six-year interval between 1 January 1999, and 3130 December 312005, 2004 but there were nine leap seconds in the eight years 1972–1979. Since the introduction of leap seconds, 1972 has been the longest year on record: 366 days and two seconds.

Unlike [[leap day]]s, which begin after 28 February, 23:59:59 local time,{{efn|Only the [[Gregorian calendar]]'s leap days begin after 28 February. The leap days of other calendars begin at different local times in their own years ([[Ethiopian calendar]], [[Iranian calendars]], [[Indian national calendar]], etc.).}} UTC leap seconds occur simultaneously worldwide; for example, the leap second on 31 December 2005, 23:59:60 UTC was 31 December 2005, 18:59:60 (6:59:60 p.m.) in [[U.S. Eastern Standard Time]] and 1 January 2006, 08:59:60 (a.m.) in [[Japan Standard Time]].