1 minute = 61 seconds

Typically, we know 1 minute is 60 seconds - and therefore, it is really strange to know that there will for the first time in history, one minute 61 seconds. Yes, this is true. The last minute of the present day (31st December 2008) will be of 61seconds. That's because a leap second, the first for three years, is being added to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the standard clock used around the world, right on the cusp of 2009. Let me explain it in simple terms. Atomic clocks like those at NPL (National Physical laboratory) are now more than a million times more stable than the Earth's rotation. As a result, the two methods of measuring time slowly drift apart and we occasionally have to add or subtract a leap second to the atomic clocks to make sure astronomical and atomic time remain synchronised. The difference between atomic time and Earth time has now built up to the point where it needs to be corrected, so this New Year's Eve we will experience a rare 61 second minute at the very end of 2008. As a result, New Year's revelers will have a bit longer to reflect on the delights of 2008, or alternatively, be able to delay the entrance of a hard to-look-forward-to 2009.

“Happy New Year”