Time keeps on slipping - literally. Why today might have been the shortest day you ever experience
While the change won't be noticeable, Wednesday might technically be the shortest day you'll ever experience. That's because Earth completed its rotation approximately 1.3 to 1.6 milliseconds faster than the average 86,400 seconds.
"In other words, we're not traveling back toward the Mesozoic in terms of rotation," Popular Mechanics reports. "The planet will eventually continue its steady deceleration — this is, of course, its natural tendency, but surface changes like polar ice melt can also contribute to the Earth's rotation slowing down."
This phenomenon is invisible to daily life but of significant importance to high-precision timekeeping systems such as atomic clocks, GPS, and satellite networks.
Scientists at the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service attribute the acceleration to a subtle shift in the Moon 's orbital alignment, which, orbiting farther from Earth's equator this summer, has reduced the 'tidal braking' effect that normally slows our planet's spin.
Others, such as Moscow State University astronomer Leonid Zotov, said the cause of this acceleration is unexplained.
"Most scientists believe it is something inside the Earth," he told Timeanddate.com. "Ocean and atmospheric models don't explain this huge acceleration."
This spike in rotational speed marks the sixth occurrence of unusually fast days since 2020, with similar events expected to occur on July 22 and August 5.
In response to the slight change, the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service is now considering implementing a negative leap second, a rare adjustment that subtracts time from Coordinated Universal Time to resynchronize clocks with Earth's rotation.
Such a correction has never been made before, but the growing trend may require one around 2029.
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The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Why are we about to have one of the shortest days ever?
The Earth is currently spinning at its fastest rate since records began, with 5 August predicted to be one of the shortest days ever measured. The shortest day on record occurred on 5 July 2024, measuring 1.66 milliseconds shorter than the average 24-hour rotation. While the Moon's gravity typically slows Earth's rotation, there is no conclusive reason for the current acceleration, though melting polar ice caps are a suggested factor. Scientists have proposed introducing a 'negative leap second' to compensate for the lost time, which would require adjusting all global clocks. This would be the first time a second has been subtracted, raising concerns among experts about potential unprecedented problems for current computing infrastructure.
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Earth is spinning faster and is about to see one of its shortest days ever
The Earth is spinning at its fastest rate since records began, and astronomers predict that 5 August will be one of the shortest days ever measured. New estimates released this month suggest that the first Tuesday of August will be around 1.25 milliseconds shorter than it should be. The average rotation of our planet is 24 hours, or 86,400 seconds, however there are several variables that cause Earth to spin faster or slower. The Moon's gravitational influence on Earth typically causes it to slow time over time and for days to lengthen. There is no conclusive reason for why Earth's rotation is accelerating, though a 2024 study suggested that melting polar ice caps and rising sea levels could be influencing it. The shortest day ever recorded was on 5 July, 2024, measuring 1.66 milliseconds shorter, with recent years seeing the rotation speeding up. Scientists have proposed a negative leap second to compensate for the lost time, meaning all of the world's clocks will need to be adjusted. 'This is an unprecedented situation and a big deal,' said geophysicist Duncan Agnew from the University of California, who wrote about the issue in a paper published in the journal Nature last year. 'It's not a huge change in the Earth's rotation that's going to lead to some catastrophe or anything, but it is something notable. It's yet another indication that we're in a very unusual time.' There have been 27 leap seconds added to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) since 1972, when the present form of the time standard was adopted, in order to match atomic time to astronomical time. This would be the first time that a second has been subtracted, and it is not clear how current computing infrastructure would cope with the shift. Patrizia Tavella from the Time Department at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, wrote in an accompanying article to the Nature paper that any potential risks should be assessed before a negative leap second is applied. 'A negative leap second has never been added or tested,' she said, 'so the problems it could create are without precedent.'
BBC News
3 days ago
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Earth spinning faster makes today one of the shortest on record
If you are counting down to something exciting, then you might be happy to hear this Tuesday 22 July 2025, will be one of the shortest days on record, as Earth will complete its full rotation in slightly less time than usual. But, don't get too excited, you probably won't notice the difference, as the day will be just 1.34 milliseconds less than the standard 24 what's going on? Read on to find more. Normally, we think of the Earth taking 24 hours, or 86,400 seconds to rotate fully on its axis in a day. However, this isn't an exact figure, as the speed of Earth's rotation depends on many factors, including the positions of the Sun and the Moon, and Earth's gravitational have found that on average the Earth has been slowing down by about two milliseconds per means that 250 million years ago - when dinosaurs roamed the Earth - a day was shorter, at around 23 hours long. A big factor in the slowing down of the rotation over many centuries is due to the pull of the Moon. The Moon affects our planet's spin through something known as tidal braking. This is when the gravitational pull from the Moon causes our planet to bulge (expand) in places, and this slows the momentum of the Earth's this case the Moon acts almost like a handbrake slowing down the Earth's spin. The International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) is constantly measuring the length of our days to a high level of use atomic clocks to monitor Earth's rotation with millisecond precision, and have been keeping records since 2020, Earth has repeatedly broken its own speed shortest day ever measured occurred on 5 July 2024, when Earth's rotation was completed 1.66 milliseconds faster than to the IERS, earlier this month, 9 July, was the shortest day recorded this year, clocking in at 1.36 milliseconds less than 24 today - 22 July - Earth is expected to complete its spin 1.34 milliseconds early, making it a close runner-up.
