Hold On ’09… It’s Not the New Year Just Yet!

by: S.K. • January 27, 2009 

Did you know that there was an extra second in 2008? Last year, the world’s rotation around the sun was a little slow. The world’s official timekeepers decided that they should add an extra second on the clock to make up for this.

The extra second is also known as a “leap second.” You’re probably thinking, haven’t you heard something like that before? Yes, it is similar to a leap year which is the extra day we add to February every four years. (2008 was a leap year).

So what can people do with just one extra second in their lives? You can read just one more word in your chapter book before going to sleep, maybe stay up later than usual for one more second. There are many possibilities.

Just kidding. You can’t really do much.

But we do know this. Everyone who celebrated 2009 at 12:00 midnight on January 1st celebrated too early. “5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Happy… oops, wait, okay, now! Happy New Year!!”

by Saba Kinfe, 5th grade
Editorial Assistant / THE LION LEDGER