Shorter days ahead? On THESE three days, Earth is predicted to rotate faster — Here’s why
The rotation of the Earth is expected to accelerate in July and August, resulting in shorter days. Notably, July 9, July 22, and August 5 are predicted to be the shortest days, as reported by timeanddate.com.
The reduction in day length will be very little, measured in milliseconds. For instance, August 5 is expected to be approximately 1.51 milliseconds shorter than the average.
The Earth rotates 365 times on its axis, determining the number of days in a year. However, this has not always been the case, various calculations indicate that Earth’s orbital period in the past has varied from approximately 490 to 372 days, the report said.
Why will the Earth move faster?
There are many factors that could be attributed to Earth’s faster movement. According to scientists, Earth’s core is impacting the rotation. The redistribution of mass caused by melting glaciers may also influence the process.
Another factor that could possibly influence Earth’s rotation is El Niño and La Niña, which impact global temperatures. The moon might also be a factor. According to Timeanddate.com, the Moon will be near its maximum distance from Earth’s equator on the three possible dates in 2025 when the day length (LOD) is shortest.
What do experts say?
Judah Levine, a physicist from the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s time and frequency division, shared with Discover Magazine in 2021, “This lack of the need for leap seconds was not predicted.”
“The assumption was, in fact, that Earth would continue to slow down and leap seconds would continue to be needed. And so this effect, this result, is very surprising,” Levine said.
The faster rotation could necessitate changes in global timekeeping, possibly resulting in the subtraction of a leap second for the first time in 2029.
“Nobody expected this,” Leonid Zotov, a senior researcher at Moscow State University told timeanddate.com. “The cause of this acceleration is not explained. Most scientists believe it is something inside the Earth. Ocean and atmospheric models don’t explain this huge acceleration,” Zotov added.
