Syrte

Leap second at the end of December 2016

6 December 2016

A positive leap second was inserted in the national reference time UTC(OP) on 31 December 2016:
2016-12-31 T 23h 59min 59s 23h 59min 60s 00h 00min 00s (UTC)
2017-01-01 T 00h 59min 59s 00h 59min 60s 01h 00min 00s (Local time)
GAIA : An unrivaled high precision mapping of our Galaxy

21 September 2016

ESA and DPAC release the first results of the space mission GAIA, launched about 1000 days before. The results show the unique measure of the distance to many stars and improve the precision of the one already known from the Hipparcos catalogue by a factor of 3.
Searching for dark matter with atomic clocks

2 September 2016

Atomic clocks at SYRTE provide new limits on scalar dark matter!
Optical fibre link opens a new era of time-frequency metrology

19 August 2016

1400-km of optical fiber link connects the quantum clocks at SYRTE and PTB, and is used to compare them with record uncertainty !
Continuous measurement using cold-atoms gyrometer : a world first !

22 May 2016

The SYRTE’s gyrometer breaks sensitivity record using a joint interrogation scheme.
El-Nino 2015-2016 appears in Earth rotation rate

5 February 2016

During the winter 2015-2016 El-Nino has a visible influence on the length of day, causing an anamoly of 0.5 ms. Such strong El-Nino go back to 1983-1983 or 1997-1998.
Seeing measurement campaign in Saint-Véran

16 January 2016

A seeing measurement campaign is being operated by François Taris at Pic de Châteaurenard (3000 m), close to Saint-Véran. It started october 2014. These measurements aims at characterizing the site. In case of positive results, a robotic telescope will be set up there. The telescope will be dedicated to monitoring of quasars in the optical and follow-up of asteroids in the framework of celestial reference frame tie.

It is a leader in time and frequenciy metrology and is also specialized in Earth rotation, celestial reference frame and history of Astronomy.
SYRTE has a multidisciplinary research activity with transverse expertise in theory, instrumentation and data analysis and various goals from fundamental physics tests to industrial transfers.It is founder membre of Laboratoire d’Excellence du Programme Investissements d’Avenir FIRST-TF.

It has in charge several international services. Associated with the LNE - Laboratoire National de Métrologie et d’Essais - the SYRTE has the responsability of the national reference time and frequence. With the IERS (International Earth Rotation Service), it deliver Earth rotation parameters and other services.

Its teams take part in training and education by giving university lectures and also spread scientific culture by organizing public talks.

Heure légale française

Leap second at the end of December 2016

GAIA : An unrivaled high precision mapping of our Galaxy

Searching for dark matter with atomic clocks

Optical fibre link opens a new era of time-frequency metrology

Continuous measurement using cold-atoms gyrometer : a world first !

El-Nino 2015-2016 appears in Earth rotation rate

Seeing measurement campaign in Saint-Véran