Scientists say speed of Earth's rotation has increased! How will it affect our lives? Two days in July and August are important due to...
The general understanding about the rotation of the Earth is that the Earth revolves around the Sun in 24 hours. This is the duration of one day. This time means one day is of 24 hours. Research says that this period is not always constant. The position of the Moon and the Sun can change it with time. Even earthquakes and other geological events can change the rotation speed of the Earth. This has an effect on the time of day. What do scientists say about duration of day time?
Scientists say that the change in the time of day is not such a phenomenon that has never been seen. Days have not always been 24 hours. Researchers have found that 1 to 2 billion years ago, a day on Earth was only 19 hours long. At that time the Moon was very close to the Earth and its gravitational force was high. This distance slowed the Earth's rotation, causing the days to become longer and reach a 24-hour cycle.
After millions of years of having a 24-hour day, things have changed in recent years. Five years ago in 2020, scientists discovered that the Earth is rotating faster than at any other time in its history. In July 2024, scientists recorded a day 1.66 milliseconds less than 24 hours for the first time. This year too, scientists are saying that some days will be of less than 24-hour duration. What will be the effect on daily life?
A decrease of 1 to 2 milliseconds from the time of a day does not matter and it will not make any difference to normal life. Even our normal clocks are not able to show this difference. Experts say that this small change will also affect satellite systems, GPS and the way time is tracked.
The change in the duration of day forces international agencies like International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) to adjust atomic clocks. Leap seconds have to be added or subtracted to or from them so that the official time can be synchronized with the actual rotation of the planet. Normal life remains unaffected by this.
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Time of India
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