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<h1 class="nist-page__title">Auld Lang Time: One of the Countrys Timekeepers Makes Sure We Ring in The New Year at Just the Right Second</h1>
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<div class="daterange"><time datetime="2023-12-28T12:00:00Z">December 28, 2023</time>
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<span>By: </span>
<a href="/blogs/taking-measure/authors/andrew-novick" hreflang="en">Andrew Novick</a>
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<p>The new year is a great time to think about the passage of time. Here at NIST, were always keeping an eye on the clock. We keep official time for the U.S., which part of the worldwide weighted average called Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).</p>
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<span class="nist-image__credit-label">Credit:</span>
fotohunter/Shutterstock
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<p>When people around the country are preparing champagne and getting ready to watch the ball drop on New Years Eve, Ill be closely monitoring our clocks at NIST.&nbsp;</p><p>We actually monitor them every nanosecond of every day, not just on New Years Eve. We have the duty to uphold the official U.S. time. There are many ways we get this time out to the public, which we call “distributing” the correct time. We send out the time via satellite, radio signals, telephone lines, through internet protocols, and via our web clock at <a href="http://www.time.gov">time.gov</a>.</p><p>We always ensure that we have the exact time, but on New Years Eve (and <a href="/pml/time-and-frequency-division/local-time-faqs" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="cf9ec613-d428-4182-9fb9-25ea047ab38f" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="Local Time FAQs">daylight saving time changes</a>), many more people are looking out for the correct time. Sometimes on New Years Eve, there is a <a href="/pml/time-and-frequency-division/leap-seconds-faqs" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="c58c3162-5301-46a9-9e94-0cea8d8ae69c" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="Leap Seconds FAQs">leap second</a> — its an extra second we add to the time worldwide to let Earth “catch up” to our official time. We havent had one of those in a while, but it does make New Years Eve even more interesting for timekeepers like me!</p><h2>Keeping Time for the Country and the World&nbsp;</h2><p>In the NIST Time and Frequency Division, to produce the official time of day, we begin by defining the duration of the second. This is actually quite complex and involves a lot of <a href="/blogs/taking-measure/think-you-know-what-second-it-will-likely-change-next-decade" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="37772e40-6ab9-411e-8016-a4d73a3e0416" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="Think You Know What a Second Is? It Will Likely Change in the Next Decade.">interesting science</a>.&nbsp;</p><p>We are always working on better and better atomic clocks for future definitions of the second, but we also have our primary standard clocks for the current definition. These are <a href="/pml/time-and-frequency-division/time-realization/cesium-fountain-atomic-clocks" data-entity-type="node" data-entity-uuid="2886c60e-2b45-48c9-845b-67f69b40e58e" data-entity-substitution="canonical" title="NISTs Cesium Fountain Atomic Clocks">cesium fountain clocks</a> that measure the second by tuning themselves to the precise frequency of microwaves that are absorbed by cesium-133 atoms. We use the primary standard clocks to calibrate many commercially available atomic clocks.&nbsp;</p><p>By measuring and comparing all these atomic clocks, we create a clock ensemble. You wouldnt want to have just one clock keeping time for the whole country, so we use a weighted average of the clocks for the best possible stability.&nbsp;</p><p>The most stable clocks get the most “weight” mathematically in the average. So, if a clock starts to show drift or has other problems, it gets less weight, so it does not affect the average. The output of this time scale is Coordinated Universal Time for the United States, known as UTC(NIST). We contribute our clock and time scale data to the <a href="https://www.bipm.org/en/">International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM)</a>. Our time is a part of the worldwide weighted average, which is called Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).&nbsp;</p><p>As primary standards improve, researchers have to develop better ways of getting time out to industry and the public. Things such as GPS, mobile phone communications and time-stamping stock market transactions require the use of precise time.&nbsp;</p><p>In our lab, I build measurement systems that we can use to measure clocks remotely to calibrate the clocks of our customers around the world. Our customers are institutions that need very accurate time, such as the aerospace, power grid, communication and financial industries, along with research institutions. Time is
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</div>
<figcaption class="nist-image__caption">NIST researcher Andrew Novick stands next to racks of frequency measurement equipment in his lab at NISTs campus in Boulder, Colorado. On New Years Eve, hell be keeping an extra close eye on time.gov, the source to see current, official time throughout the U.S.<div class="nist-image__credit">
<span class="nist-image__credit-label">Credit:</span>
R. Wilson/NIST
</div></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Like a lot of people, I do think about resolutions and what I want to accomplish in the new year. It is kind of arbitrary when you think about it. But this is when our calendar rolls over, so its a moment for folks to reflect on the past and imagine the future.&nbsp;</p><p>Something I find fascinating is our perception of the rate of time. Some days (and years!) go by quickly, and some drag on. When we think back to the past, even distant memories are sometimes clear, and some recent memories have already faded away.&nbsp;</p><p>There are studies about how our perception of time changes as we get older. Each passing day, month or year is a smaller sliver of your total life the older you get. When youre a kid, a year is a significant portion of your life. At 80 years old, one year makes up a tiny fraction of your life and experiences.&nbsp;</p><p>Memories play a large role in how we perceive the passage of time. Our brains categorize and store what seems significant and flush out the <a href="https://radiolab.org/podcast/secret-long-life/transcript">repetitive or unimportant day-to-day activities</a>. (So, this is why you may sometimes struggle to remember what you ate yesterday or if you locked the door.)&nbsp;</p><p>If we strive to do new things and create significant memories, time may pass by quickly as they are happening, but our stored recollections will be plentiful. Our lives may seem much longer and fuller, and I try to do this as much as possible. There is plenty of capacity in our brains, and keeping our minds active is a way to help us store and recall all the great times we have had.</p><h2>Making the Most of Every Moment&nbsp;</h2><p>As someone who thinks about time at work all day, I know there are a limited number of seconds we all get each day, so I try to maximize them. One way I try to “gain time” is trying not to sleep too much (not something I necessarily recommend, but it works for me). The less I sleep, the more time I have available to do other things of interest.&nbsp;</p><p>I enjoy creating experiences for people. I have been in bands and other performances and strive to produce interesting art. I have created themed food events and puzzle hunts.&nbsp;</p><p>Sometimes I “perform” PowerPoint presentations as an opening act at concerts. This is funny because people are not expecting it. I have done talks on conspiracy theories, bloodhounds, ossuaries (rooms or containers where bones of dead people are placed) and more.&nbsp;</p><p>My topics are usually vaguely related to something else happening that evening, but I never announce the topics ahead of time. Our brains remember the unexpected. So even if people dont like it, they will remember it, even if just to complain about it the next day! Most of the projects I work on are about subverting or going beyond peoples expectations — which is what makes them interesting or memorable.</p><p>I am also an avid collector, a hobby which also relates to time. I love bits of ephemera, such as old restaurant menus, unique cereal boxes, movie/concert ticket stubs and found photographs. I like board games, toys and other objects related to TV, movies and other pop culture.&nbsp;</p><p>These things help me to remember my past or discover the past of others. Every object has a history. Whats the difference between an everyday object and an antique? Its really just the passage of time or sentimental memories that give things more value to us. A pocketknife or a keychain could be unmemorable, unless it belonged to a beloved uncle who passed away. Then maybe it means more or brings up memories. Thats why family heirlooms exist.&nbsp;</p><p>I happen to take it a little further, using objects with unknown origin from thrift stores, estate sales or found objects to imagine or wonder about their history. Finding a family photo album or a collection of letters presents interesting information about total strangers. I once even found a stack of letters between a person in prison and their sweetie on the outside. People's things are suc
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<span class="nist-comment__author"><span lang="" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Carrie Wang</span></span>
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<div class="text-long"><p>Happy New Year! As we ring in the new year, here&#039;s to making every nanosecond count and creating memorable moments. Cherishing experiences, exploring history through objects, and subverting expectations—wonderful ways to navigate time&#039;s passage. May your celebrations be safe, joyful, and full of cherished memories!</p>
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<span class="nist-comment__author"><span lang="" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">Jenwit Suwannakote</span></span>
on
<span class="nist-comment__date">December 31, 2023 8:15 PM</span>
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<div class="text-long"><p>Ok</p>
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<span class="nist-comment__author"><span lang="" typeof="schema:Person" property="schema:name" datatype="">John Pineau</span></span>
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<div class="text-long"><p>Cool!</p>
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