Latest news with #InternationalEarthRotationandReferenceSystemService
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Why could Aug. 5 be shorter than 24 hours?
If you seem not to be able to get through the to-do list on Aug. 5, you'll at least have an excuse. Tuesday is predicted to be one of the shortest days in the year, marking the latest time the Earth could see a day shortened by more than a millisecond. Scientists predict that Aug. 5 will be 1.34 milliseconds shorter, according to the International Earth Rotation and Reference System Service and the U.S. Naval Observatory, published by TimeandDate. The millisecond mark has been broken a handful of times this year, with the most recent being July 11, according to the data published by TimeandDate. The predictions do not always come to pass, as July 22 had been predicted to be over a millisecond short, but the data revealed that only 0.87 milliseconds were shaved off, according to the Observatory's data. Earth takes 24 hours to complete a full rotation in a standard day, equal to exactly 86,400 seconds. Until 2020, the shortest day ever recorded by atomic clocks was 1.05 milliseconds short, meaning that Earth completed one daily rotation in 1.05 milliseconds less than the expected 86,400 seconds. "Since then, however, Earth has managed to shatter this old record every year by around half a millisecond," astrophysicist Graham Jones wrote for TimeAndDate. The shortest day recorded so far occurred July 5, 2024, when it came in 1.66 milliseconds short. The shortest day recorded this year was July 10, which came in 1.37 milliseconds short. Why is this happening? The Earth's rotation is influenced by the core and the atmosphere, according to Scientific American. The science magazine says that the core's spin has been slowing, though for unknown reasons, meaning that the rest of the planet must speed up to compensate. "The core is what changes how fast the Earth rotates on periods of 10 years to hundreds of years," Duncan Agnew, a geophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, told the magazine. "The core has been slowing down for the last 50 years, and as a result, the Earth has been speeding up." Atmospheric forces cause the rotation rate of the Earth to speed up in the summer of the Northern Hemisphere, according to Scientific American. Forces caused by the moon also affect the rate the Earth spins. The magazine notes that on the geologic timescale, the Earth has been slowing, with the rotation taking half an hour less 70 million years ago. Will the sped-up day be noticeable? Of course, you're unlikely to notice such a minuscule difference in your standard 24-hour day. But scientists who track and operate atomic clocks may be facing a bit of a predicament. First introduced in the 1950s, atomic clocks replaced how scientists previously measured the length of a day by tracking the Earth's rotation and the position of the sun. The clocks are also capable of measuring in billionths of a second, or nanoseconds, which are synchronized globally to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). If the clocks are thrown off even a tiny amount, it could also throw off computers, servers, GPS signals, and other networks that rely on accurate times, David Gozzard, an experimental physicist at the University of Western Australia, told the Guardian. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aug. 5 might be a short day, see how much time could be trimmed off
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Science
- Daily Record
Why today is predicted to be one of the shortest days ever recorded
If you're struggling to get through your To Do list today, August 5, you may have an excuse The summer months can make us feel like the days are dragging. Between lethargy, hot days, and balancing work and family commitments, our 24 hours might seem never-ending with bedtime seeming like it's simply never going to come. Other times, the days can fly by, leaving you wondering where those precious hours went. But what if we told you that today, Tuesday, August 5, is predicted to be one of the shortest days ever recorded? Incredibly, today will be approximately 1.34 milliseconds shorter than 24 hours, according to the International Earth Rotation and Reference System Service and the U.S. Naval Observatory, published by TimeandDate. Scientists attribute this phenomenon to changes in the Earth's core and atmospheric influences. Humans won't notice, but these variations can throw off computers, GPS signals, and other systems reliant on precise timekeeping. Since around 2020, scientists have observed a continuous pattern of increasingly shorter days. We can try to get our heads round this by understanding, first of all, that Earth takes 24 hours to complete a full rotation in a standard day, equal to exactly 86,400 seconds. Until 2020, the shortest day ever recorded by atomic clocks was 1.05 milliseconds short, meaning that Earth completed one daily rotation in 1.05 milliseconds less than the expected 86,400 seconds. "Since then, however, Earth has managed to shatter this old record every year by around half a millisecond," astrophysicist Graham Jones wrote for TimeAndDate. The shortest day recorded so far occurred July 5, 2024, when it came in 1.66 milliseconds short. The shortest day recorded this year was July 10, which came in 1.37 milliseconds short. So, why is this happening? Well, the Earth is spinning faster. After decades of slowing down, our planet's rotation has been speeding up in recent years but timekeepers can't explain why. This means that the rest of the planet must speed up to compensate. "The core is what changes how fast the Earth rotates in periods of 10 years to hundreds of years," Duncan Agnew, a geophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, told Scientific American. "The core has been slowing down for the last 50 years, and as a result, the Earth has been speeding up." Humans are unlikely to notice such a small difference to their normal 24-hour day. But the event could spark trouble for scientists who track and operate atomic clocks. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. First introduced in the 1950s, atomic clocks replaced how scientists previously measured the length of a day by tracking the Earth's rotation and the position of the sun. The clocks can also measure in billionths of a second, or nanoseconds, which are synchronized globally to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). If the clocks are thrown off even a tiny amount, it could also throw off computers, servers, GPS signals, and other networks that rely on accurate times, David Gozzard at the University of Western Australia, told the Guardian. Scientists say in order to keep Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) aligned with Earth's rotation, we may need to implement a 'negative leap second,' likely around 2029. This would be the first time a second has been subtracted.
Indianapolis Star
3 days ago
- Science
- Indianapolis Star
Why could Aug. 5 be shorter than 24 hours?
If you seem not to be able to get through the to-do list on Aug. 5, you'll at least have an excuse. Tuesday is predicted to be one of the shortest days in the year, marking the latest time the Earth could see a day shortened by more than a millisecond. Scientists predict that Aug. 5 will be 1.34 milliseconds shorter, according to the International Earth Rotation and Reference System Service and the U.S. Naval Observatory, published by TimeandDate. The millisecond mark has been broken a handful of times this year, with the most recent being July 11, according to the data published by TimeandDate. The predictions do not always come to pass, as July 22 had been predicted to be over a millisecond short, but the data revealed that only 0.87 milliseconds were shaved off, according to the Observatory's data. Earth takes 24 hours to complete a full rotation in a standard day, equal to exactly 86,400 seconds. Until 2020, the shortest day ever recorded by atomic clocks was 1.05 milliseconds short, meaning that Earth completed one daily rotation in 1.05 milliseconds less than the expected 86,400 seconds. "Since then, however, Earth has managed to shatter this old record every year by around half a millisecond," astrophysicist Graham Jones wrote for TimeAndDate. The shortest day recorded so far occurred July 5, 2024, when it came in 1.66 milliseconds short. The shortest day recorded this year was July 10, which came in 1.37 milliseconds short. The Earth's rotation is influenced by the core and the atmosphere, according to Scientific American. The science magazine says that the core's spin has been slowing, though for unknown reasons, meaning that the rest of the planet must speed up to compensate. "The core is what changes how fast the Earth rotates on periods of 10 years to hundreds of years," Duncan Agnew, a geophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, told the magazine. "The core has been slowing down for the last 50 years, and as a result, the Earth has been speeding up." Atmospheric forces cause the rotation rate of the Earth to speed up in the summer of the Northern Hemisphere, according to Scientific American. Forces caused by the moon also affect the rate the Earth spins. The magazine notes that on the geologic timescale, the Earth has been slowing, with the rotation taking half an hour less 70 million years ago. Of course, you're unlikely to notice such a minuscule difference in your standard 24-hour day. But scientists who track and operate atomic clocks may be facing a bit of a predicament. First introduced in the 1950s, atomic clocks replaced how scientists previously measured the length of a day by tracking the Earth's rotation and the position of the sun. The clocks are also capable of measuring in billionths of a second, or nanoseconds, which are synchronized globally to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
USA Today
3 days ago
- Science
- USA Today
Why could Aug. 5 be shorter than 24 hours?
If you seem not to be able to get through the to-do list on Aug. 5, you'll at least have an excuse. Tuesday is predicted to be one of the shortest days in the year, marking the latest time the Earth could see a day shortened by more than a millisecond. Scientists predict that Aug. 5 will be 1.34 milliseconds shorter, according to the International Earth Rotation and Reference System Service and the U.S. Naval Observatory, published by TimeandDate. The millisecond mark has been broken a handful of times this year, with the most recent being July 11, according to the data published by TimeandDate. The predictions do not always come to pass, as July 22 had been predicted to be over a millisecond short, but the data revealed that only 0.87 milliseconds were shaved off, according to the Observatory's data. Earth takes 24 hours to complete a full rotation in a standard day, equal to exactly 86,400 seconds. Until 2020, the shortest day ever recorded by atomic clocks was 1.05 milliseconds short, meaning that Earth completed one daily rotation in 1.05 milliseconds less than the expected 86,400 seconds. "Since then, however, Earth has managed to shatter this old record every year by around half a millisecond," astrophysicist Graham Jones wrote for TimeAndDate. The shortest day recorded so far occurred July 5, 2024, when it came in 1.66 milliseconds short. The shortest day recorded this year was July 10, which came in 1.37 milliseconds short. Why is this happening? The Earth's rotation is influenced by the core and the atmosphere, according to Scientific American. The science magazine says that the core's spin has been slowing, though for unknown reasons, meaning that the rest of the planet must speed up to compensate. "The core is what changes how fast the Earth rotates on periods of 10 years to hundreds of years," Duncan Agnew, a geophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, told the magazine. "The core has been slowing down for the last 50 years, and as a result, the Earth has been speeding up." Atmospheric forces cause the rotation rate of the Earth to speed up in the summer of the Northern Hemisphere, according to Scientific American. Forces caused by the moon also affect the rate the Earth spins. The magazine notes that on the geologic timescale, the Earth has been slowing, with the rotation taking half an hour less 70 million years ago. Will the sped-up day be noticeable? Of course, you're unlikely to notice such a minuscule difference in your standard 24-hour day. But scientists who track and operate atomic clocks may be facing a bit of a predicament. First introduced in the 1950s, atomic clocks replaced how scientists previously measured the length of a day by tracking the Earth's rotation and the position of the sun. The clocks are also capable of measuring in billionths of a second, or nanoseconds, which are synchronized globally to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). If the clocks are thrown off even a tiny amount, it could also throw off computers, servers, GPS signals, and other networks that rely on accurate times, David Gozzard, an experimental physicist at the University of Western Australia, told the Guardian.
