--- In guide-user@yahoogroups.com, "sc285" <rob515@k...> wrote:

> Here is an explanation from David Herald, author of the Occult
> program, on defining deltaT and deltaAT that is used in the Occult
> program:

[snip]

> For the near future, the challenge is to predict when the next leap
> second will be inserted. It will occur at the end of either a

December

> 31, or June 30. I have guessed leap seconds for June 2004, Jan 2007,
> and Jan 2010.
> Finally, if a leap second is NOT inserted this coming June 30, then
> the deltaAT table will need to be edited to specify the best guess

at

> when it will be inserted. Otherwise all predictions after July 1

will

> be out by exactly 1.0 secs.
> Dave Herald - December 28, 2003

As a follow up, here is part of an email I received from David Herald:

----- Original Message -----
From: Dave Herald <Heraldd@...>
Subject: Fw: Leap Second
To: Rob Robinson <webmaster@...>

Thought you might be interested in this - I asked whether a leap
second was likely at the end of this year.
I should think about updating the deltaT table for OCCULT in
accordance with this advice.

From: "Daniel Gambis" <gambis@...>
To: <Heraldd@...>
Sent: Friday, June 04, 2004 3:09 AM
Subject: Re: Leap Second

> Dave Herald
> According to our predictions, there will not be any leap second
> at the end of 2004. It appears that the Earth is relatively
accelerating
> since a few years and , if it is continuying no leap second is
expected
> before 2007 or 2008.
>
> Regards
>
> Daniel Gambis
> Earth Orientation Center of the IERS
> Paris Observatory