Re:An Update on Leap Seconds
by deathanatos on Monday January 30, 2023 @10:34AM
(#34580996)
> or is it one rotation of the Earth on its axis?
Or the amount of rotation required to point towards the sun again, which is slightly more than one rotation (remember, we orbiting while spinning, so noon to noon is a bit more than 360°). This is a solar day; your definition is called a "sidereal day" (and is a real thing, too).
(And the solar definition has issues, too, which leads to, e.g., mean solar time…)
Or the amount of rotation required to point towards the sun again, which is slightly more than one rotation (remember, we orbiting while spinning, so noon to noon is a bit more than 360°). This is a solar day; your definition is called a "sidereal day" (and is a real thing, too).
(And the solar definition has issues, too, which leads to, e.g., mean solar time…)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidereal_time