National

We’ll have to wait a tad bit longer for 2016 to end

Custodian Ray Keen inspects a clock face before changing the time on the 100-year-old clock atop the Clay County Courthouse in Clay Center, Kan. Americans get a second extra on New Year’s Eve this year.
Custodian Ray Keen inspects a clock face before changing the time on the 100-year-old clock atop the Clay County Courthouse in Clay Center, Kan. Americans get a second extra on New Year’s Eve this year. Charlie Riedel The Associated Press

Great news! Or terrible news, depending on your perspective. We’re getting an extra moment to live in 2016.

The year will linger a leap second before passing into the annals of time on New Year’s Eve, an NPR.org report reminds us.

Which is good news for those of us who perceive time passing all too quickly. But horrible news for many youths and those lamenting the spate of high-profile deaths in 2016.

The official timekeepers give us the extra moment to bring the world’s atomic clocks into sync with the Earth’s rhythm, which is determined by its rotation, NPR reports. They do it every two or three years. This one’s a bonus; it’s already a leap year, combining to make it one of the longest years we’ve lived (assuming we make it another day and a second).

Some people can hardly tolerate that:

There’s even a festival planned for 23:59:60 New Year’s Eve that will feature music, art (including photos and videos) and audio projects lasting a second or less.

So what will you do with your extra second? Here’s what Jake’s doing:

Tom Uhler: 817-390-7832, @tomuh

This story was originally published December 30, 2016 at 10:06 AM with the headline "We’ll have to wait a tad bit longer for 2016 to end."

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