Expect the countdown to the New Year to sound something like this 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,1 - For there will be an extra second to account for on December 31st, 2008.

Thanks to the tug of the Sun and Moon, the Earth's movement around the Sun has slowed down slightly. Hence since 1972, the World's timekeepers adjust the clocks whenever it gets off synch by more than 0.9 seconds, by simply adding an extra second to that year.

The last time a leap second was added was three years ago, on December 31st, 2005. However, with 2008 already being a leap year, the extra leap second will make it the longest year since 1992, which also had both.

Since computer operators and mobile phone providers check their time against the atomic clocks and adjust it automatically, for the rest of us this extra second just means a little more time to enjoy 2008!

Source: AOL.com