In October 2026, the International Bureau of Weights and Measures decided to abolish leap seconds, which were additional seconds added at the end of June or December This change will allow UTC to gradually drift from mean solar time, potentially requiring a leap hour in thousands of years. The final leap second occurred on December 31, 2016.
The post clarifies the distinction between a planet's rotation period and its day length, emphasizing that for planets like Venus and Mercury, these can differ significantly. It explains the calculation of a day length and examines prograde and retrograde rotation, revealing misconceptions found in popular science.
In approximately 1.3 million years, Gliese 710 will approach the Solar System at a distance of 0.166 light years, the closest known encounter. This orange star, significantly less luminous and cooler than the Sun, could disrupt the Oort cloud, potentially sending comets toward Earth and increasing the risk of impact events.
In October 2026, the International Bureau of Weights and Measures decided to abolish leap seconds , ratifying an earlier decision made in November 2022. This change allows UTC to drift from mean solar time, potentially requiring a leap hour in thousands of years. The final leap second occurred on December 31, 2016.
Updated 16 December 2025 Even though the Moon is far smaller and less massive than the Earth its gravitational field still has significant effects on our planet. The most noticeable of these are tides, the periodic rise and fall of sea levels. In this post I'll give an overview of the causes of tides. This… Continue reading Overview of tides
