It seems that time is literally speeding up as scientists have confirmed that the Earth is set to experience three remarkably shorter-than-average days in the coming weeks, as the planet’s rotation unexpectedly accelerates.
Normally, Earth’s daily rotation equates to approximately 86,400 seconds, or a precise 24 hours. However, according to a report from Popular Mechanics, three specific days this summer will see as much as 1.51 milliseconds shaved off the clock, the New York Post reported.
The International Rotation and Reference Systems Service has identified July 9, July 22, and August 5 as the dates for these “time-slicing” events. These days will rank among the shortest recorded since 2020.
Scientists attribute these particular dates to the moon being at its furthest point from the equator, which is understood to influence the Earth’s rotational speed.
Adding to the mystery, the shortest day since 2020 was already recorded on July 5, 2024, which was a full 1.66 milliseconds shorter than the average.
Experts have yet to pinpoint the exact reason for this overall increase in the Earth’s rotational acceleration.
“Nobody expected this,” remarked Leonid Zotov, an Earth rotation expert from Moscow State University, to TimeandDate regarding the quickening trend.
“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.”
This ongoing acceleration may necessitate a drastic and unprecedented measure from Earth’s official timekeepers.
According to a study published in Nature last year, a “negative leap second” might need to be instated in 2029 to keep global time in sync with the Earth’s increasingly swift rotation.
“This is an unprecedented situation and a big deal,” said Duncan Agnew, lead author of the study and geophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, at the time of the study’s release. “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.”
It’s worth noting that days on Earth have not always been exactly 24 hours long.
During the Bronze Age, for example, daily rotations were approximately 23 hours. However, the current trend of unexpected acceleration marks a significant shift that continues to intrigue and challenge the scientific community.