From: Poul-Henning Kamp <phk_at_PHK.FREEBSD.DK>
Subject: Re: [LEAPSECS] Introduction of long term scheduling
Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2007 11:45:52 +0000
Message-ID: <1260.1167824752_at_critter.freebsd.dk>
> In message <Pine.GSO.4.58.0701031137001.17452_at_cass03>, Peter Bunclark writes:
>
> >> Without the Moon, the Earth could nod through large angles, lying on
> >> its side or perhaps even rotating retrograde every few million
> >> years. Try making sense of timekeeping under such circumstances.
>
> You mean like taking a sequence of atomic seconds, counting them
> in a predicatable way and be happy that timekeeping has nothing
> to do with geophysics ?
>
> Yeah, I could live with that.
Assuming you have corrected for another gravitational field, yes. The current
SI second indirectly assumes a certain gravitational force, we is assumed to be
"at sea level" whatever level that is. Oh, should we move our Cesiums up and
down with the tides which the moon arranges for us? Moder nature provides so
many nice modulators. :o)
We still depend on geophysics to some degree.
Now, if we could find the mass center of the universe, propell away a really
good atomic clock constallation and use that for our time reference we should
be off to a good start. No?
> >Hang on a minute, statistically planets in the Solar System do not have a
> >large moon and yet are "upright"; for example Mars comes very close to the
> >conditions required to generate a leapseconds email exploder.
>
> As far as I know the atmosphere is far to cold for that :-)
No problem. With the heated discussions going on here it would be no problem
maintaining the temperature up. :o)
Cheers,
Magnus
Received on Wed Jan 03 2007 - 04:22:58 PST