Time 1pm EST, Friday February 20th, 2026

Presenting Live via Zoom

Title: Time, Science & Society

Humans have been trying to sync the stars with our daily schedules since long before we could write. For thousands of years, there’s been an ongoing dance between what’s practical for our tech and what feels right for our souls.The current debate over the leap second isn't just about clocks; it’s about deep-seated ideas like tradition, scientific logic, and our obsession with "perfect" time. We’re going to look past the technical jargon and dive into the history of how different cultures tracked time. By shining a light on the hidden biases and big philosophical questions—from the Enlightenment to modern astronomy—we’ll figure out why this tiny second caused such a stir.

Fr. Paul Gabor, S.J., Ph.D. (*1969). He comes from Košice, Slovakia. He studied particle physics at Charles University in Prague, worked at CERN and in Grenoble, then joined the Society of Jesus. He studied philosophy in Cracow and theology in Paris, where he also earned a doctorate in astrophysics. Since 2012, he is the Vice Director of the Vatican Observatory in charge of its branch in Tucson, Arizona. His main research interest are exoplanets. He teaches history of astronomy and philosophy of science at the University of Arizona. He participates in international discussions on the leap second and the date of Easter. He is a member of the International Astronomical Union and the American Astronomical Astronomical Society. The asteroid (669448) Pavelgabor is named after him.