Why July 9 May Be the Shortest Day in Recorded History
The summer months may bring longer daylight hours, but the days themselves are actually getting shorter.
In fact, July 9 could end up being the shortest day ever recorded by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS), which tracks the length of each day down to the millisecond. It's expected to clock in at roughly 1.3 milliseconds shorter than the typical 86,400 seconds in a 24-hour span, according to the BBC.
The phenomenon may even occur more than once, as July 22 and Aug. 5 are also predicted to be slightly shorter than normal. On these dates, the moon will be furthest from the equator, which experts have tied to the momentum of the Earth's rotation, per the outlet.
Indeed, experts have observed a steady acceleration in the Earth's rotation since 2020. Currently, the shortest day ever was logged on July 5, 2024, which was 1.66 milliseconds shorter than usual, according to Time and Date.
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But the moon's placement alone doesn't account for the years-long trend of Earth's rotation speeding up.
'The cause of this acceleration is not explained,' Moscow State University researcher Leonid Zotov told Time and Date in an interview published June 16. 'Most scientists believe it is something inside the Earth. Ocean and atmospheric models don't explain this huge acceleration.'
While most people are unlikely to notice the effects of the occurrences, the IERS has periodically added a leap second to the year—most recently in 2016—to ensure high-precision clocks are unaffected. But the recent string of condensed days could have a subtle effect in the future, resulting in a leap second being taken off the clock for the first time in 2029.
Fortunately, though, Zotov predicted that the Earth's momentum would eventually subside.
'I think we have reached the minimum,' he said. 'Sooner or later, Earth will decelerate.'
For some of the most out-of-this-world celebrity quotes, keep reading.
Gayle KingKaty PerryWilliam ShatnerLance BassMichael StrahanKim KardashianElon MuskLeonardo DiCaprioJustin BieberTom HanksAshton KutcherPrince WilliamCameron DiazMichael FassbenderCharlize TheronParis Hilton
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