Believe it or not, this year isn’t ending when you think it is. The world’s official timekeepers are adding a “leap second” to 2008 to account for a slight slowdown in the Earth’s rotation. By international agreement, the extra second will be added to the world’s atomic clocks between 6:59:59 p.m. and 7:00:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Dec. 31.  (The exact time of the leap second is expressed as 6:59:60.)

So if 2008 feels like the longest year ever, it’s not just in your head. Between this year’s leap day and now the addition of a leap second, 2008 is technically the longest year since 1992.

The good news: Most cell phones, computer systems and other automated time systems automatically update their times to match the atomic clocks. So you shouldn’t have to do anything to prep.

Tags: Communication, Lighter side of finance