How an accelerating Earth led experts to adopt the leap hour

International delegates agree leap second no longer tenable, but first leap hour not likely to happen for thousands of years After decades of discussion, quibbling and worrying about clocks in computer systems, the world’s official timekeepers have voted to replace what many viewed as a tiresome correction: the leap second.

It’s time, they say, for the leap hour. Delegates from 69 countries cast their votes on Thursday at…