Scientists in the United Kingdom have announced that Earth’s rotation is unexpectedly accelerated, which will lead to the shortest day in human history in just a few weeks. Graham Jones, astrophysicist from London University, claims that The Earth’s rotation could be significantly accelerated in one of the three summer terms: July 9, 22 July or 5 August. It is believed that time these days will be shortened by 1.30, 1.38 or 1.51 milliseconds.
Scientists warn that although this change is very small, it can affect everything from satellite systems and GPS accuracy to time measurement. “No one expected it, the cause of this acceleration is not explained,” said Leonid Zasov from the Moscow State University. Since 2020, scientists have noticed that the Earth is rotating a little faster than usual, but the reason remains a mystery to this day. Previously, the planet gradually slowed down as a result of the gravitational activity of the Moon, which extended the days to the current 24-hour cycle.
The earth usually needs twenty -four hours or exactly 86,400 seconds to do one complete circulation called the sunny day. However, the rotation of the Earth is not perfectly stable and may vary slightly in a few milliseconds. These deviations are probably caused by natural influences such as earthquakes and ocean currents. Metal glaciers, movements in the molten core of the Earth, or large weather events such as El Niño, may also contribute to a slight acceleration or slowing of rotation.
These changes are measured using atomic clocks that follow the time much more accurately than regular hours. The recent acceleration of the Earth was surprised by experts. The fastest recorded day was 5 July 2024, when the Earth turned 1.66 milliseconds faster than in the standard time. Although scientists do not yet know the exact cause of this acceleration, they examine what is happening inside the Earth.
From 2020 the Earth began to break records in the length of the shortest days: 19 July 2020 the day was shorter by 1.47 milliseconds, 9 July 2021 the decline again by 1.47 milliseconds. In 2022, the Earth recorded the shortest day on June 30, when it fell by 1.59 milliseconds. In 2023, the rotation slowed slightly and no new records were recorded. In 2024, however, the pace accelerated again and broke the previous records for several days, making 2024 the year with the most consistent short days ever measured.
These estimates are based on past observations and computer models that include systematic corrections and smoothing to take into account natural fluctuations. Even such small changes in the length of the day are of great importance. GPS, telephone networks and financial systems rely on accuracy on fragments of seconds. A shift in only a few milliseconds can cause technical problems.
Currently, time is measured in the world through coordinated world time (UTC). Occasionally, a penetration second is added to harmonize time with slow changes in the Earth’s rotation. However, if the Earth continues to rotate faster, experts may have to take one second in history for the first time in history, which is called a negative penetration second.
However, the long -term trend is well known. A billion years ago, the Earth was rotating so fast that the day lasted only a few hours. The rotation slowed down the gravitational forces of the Moon. “Sooner or later, the Earth will slow again. However, its rotation continues to accelerate,” said Zatov.
