The Explanatory Supplement to IERS Bulletins A and B
http://hpiers.obspm.fr/eop-pc/products/bulletins/explanatory.html
is dated 2002-03 and contains the following line
UTC is defined by the 1986 CCIR Recommendation 460-4 (CCIR, 1986)
This is somewhat odd because the CCIR was subsumed into the ITU-R
during the reorganization of 1992/1993, and version 4 of document 460
was renamed to ITU-R TF.460-4.
http://www.itu.int/rec/recommendation.asp?type=folders&lang=e&parent=R-REC-TF.460
Then in 1997 version 5 was issued as ITU-R TF.460-5 (and in 2002
version 6 was issued). Nevertheless, the IERS explanatory supplement
continues and mentions the redefinition process for UTC as well as
the IAU 2000 GA resolution B2.
So why does the explanatory supplement indicate an old name of an old
version by an old organization?
Does the IERS require a directive from its authorizing agencies before
it can adopt a new version?
If so, doesn't that mean that different versions may be in
simultaneous use by different agencies?
Or is this just another example of sloppy documentation regarding the
authority by which leap seconds exist?
--
Steve Allen UCO/Lick Observatory Santa Cruz, CA 95064
sla_at_ucolick.org Voice: +1 831 459 3046 http://www.ucolick.org/~sla
PGP: 1024/E46978C5 F6 78 D1 10 62 94 8F 2E 49 89 0E FE 26 B4 14 93
Received on Mon Sep 01 2003 - 12:13:30 PDT