Earth is spinning faster, leading timekeepers to consider an unprecedented move

9 months ago

Earth is spinning faster this summer, making days marginally shorter.
July 10 was the shortest day of the year so far, lasting 1.36 milliseconds less than 24 hours.
More exceptionally short days are predicted for July 22 and August 5.
The length of a day varies due to factors like the moon's gravitational pull, seasonal atmospheric changes, and Earth's liquid core.
Atomic clocks track time deviations, which can affect computers, satellites, and telecommunications.
Last year, Earth experienced the shortest day ever recorded since the advent of the atomic clock.
Since 1972, 27 leap seconds have been added to UTC, but the rate has slowed due to Earth speeding up.
In 2022, the leap second was voted to be retired by 2035, with a 40% chance of a negative leap second by then.
Climate change, through melting ice, is slowing Earth's rotation, counteracting the forces speeding it up.
The mass shift from melting ice is also affecting Earth's rotation axis.

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