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Earth is spinning faster this summer: July 22 among the shortest days ever recorded, scientists warn

Earth is spinning faster this summer: July 22 among the shortest days ever recorded, scientists warn

Time of India4 days ago
Source: BBC
Earth's rotation is speeding up this summer, leading to slightly shorter days—a phenomenon that has captured the attention of scientists, astronomers, and global timekeepers. On July 10, 2025, Earth recorded its shortest day of the year so far, running 1.36 milliseconds shorter than the standard 24 hours. Upcoming days, including July 22 and August 5, are also predicted to be shorter by 1.34 and 1.25 milliseconds, respectively. Though these variations are imperceptible in daily life, they can have serious implications for atomic timekeeping, digital infrastructure, and even how we measure time globally.
Earth is spinning faster leading to shorter days as observed on July 22
The length of a day—defined as one complete rotation of Earth on its axis—averages 86,400 seconds, or 24 hours. However, this measurement isn't perfectly fixed. Due to multiple dynamic factors, including:
Gravitational pull from the Moon
Atmospheric shifts
Fluid motion in Earth's liquid core
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Each daily rotation varies by milliseconds. These irregularities typically go unnoticed by the general public but are meticulously tracked by institutions like the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) and US Naval Observatory.
Critical role of atomic clocks in managing millisecond-level shifts
Minor time deviations are not trivial. They can interfere with:
Satellite navigation (GPS)
Telecommunications
Computer systems
Global financial networks
That's why atomic clocks, which debuted in 1955, are used to maintain Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)—the international timekeeping standard. These clocks rely on oscillations of atoms, measured in vacuum chambers, to deliver ultra-precise readings of time. "Even millisecond differences matter in the world of high-frequency technology," says physicist Judah Levine from the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
How a faster-spinning Earth could force a timekeeping first
To keep UTC aligned with Earth's actual rotation, scientists have been adding "leap seconds" since 1972. This is similar to how a leap day corrects the calendar every four years. So far, 27 leap seconds have been added to account for Earth's previously slowing rotation.
But as Earth begins to spin faster, the need for leap seconds is declining. No leap seconds have been added since 2016, and in 2022, the General Conference on Weights and Measures voted to retire the leap second by 2035. However, if Earth continues this acceleration, scientists warn we may have to do something unprecedented—subtract a second, creating a negative leap second. The probability of this happening by 2035 is currently estimated at 40%.
What's causing Earth to spin faster
Several short- and long-term forces influence Earth's rotation speed:
Lunar Tidal forces
The Moon's gravitational pull slows or accelerates Earth depending on its position relative to the equator.
Atmospheric changes
During summer, Earth naturally spins faster because the jet stream shifts, and the atmosphere slows down, transferring angular momentum to the planet.
Earth's liquid core
For the past 50 years, Earth's liquid core has been slowing, while the solid outer Earth accelerates to maintain rotational balance. According to Dr. Duncan Agnew of UC San Diego, 'It's like watching the stock market—there are long-term trends, but also unpredictable fluctuations.'
How climate change and melting ice are altering Earth's rotation
Melting ice in Antarctica and Greenland is also impacting Earth's rotation. As vast amounts of ice convert into ocean water, the mass redistribution acts like a figure skater extending their arms, slightly slowing Earth's spin. Agnew's research in Nature found that: 'Without global warming and ice melt, we might already have needed to introduce a negative leap second.'
NASA confirms that meltwater from polar regions accounts for a third of global sea level rise since 1993, which also alters Earth's rotational axis. Due to the complexity of rotational factors, long-term predictions remain uncertain. The IERS only forecasts one year ahead. Levine notes that short-term changes tend to correlate day by day, but beyond that, accuracy drops sharply. 'We may see Earth slow down again in the coming years,' says Dr. Benedikt Soja, a geodesy expert at ETH Zurich. 'But if climate change worsens, its effect could eventually surpass that of the Moon—Earth's primary rotational driver for billions of years.'
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Nisar mission to benefit global community in earth observation: Isro chief
Nisar mission to benefit global community in earth observation: Isro chief

Time of India

time3 hours ago

  • Time of India

Nisar mission to benefit global community in earth observation: Isro chief

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THIS simple exercise may boost longevity; can add as many as 6 years!
THIS simple exercise may boost longevity; can add as many as 6 years!

Time of India

time7 hours ago

  • Time of India

THIS simple exercise may boost longevity; can add as many as 6 years!

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Trump's NASA budget cuts could compromise human safety, warn hundreds of agency employees in open letter
Trump's NASA budget cuts could compromise human safety, warn hundreds of agency employees in open letter

Time of India

time9 hours ago

  • Time of India

Trump's NASA budget cuts could compromise human safety, warn hundreds of agency employees in open letter

According to NASA scientists, impending budget cuts could jeopardise mission safety and open the door for another catastrophe similar to the Challenger disaster in 1986. According to Kyle Helson, a research scientist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre and the University of Maryland , "when you're talking about cuts that appear unstrategic and unthoroughly researched and not motivated by actual improvements in mission safety, then you start to get people worried," he told Megan Williams, guest host on If You Happen. 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Among those four, Helson claims that the only reason he feels comfortable speaking is because he works with NASA in collaboration with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, which he claims allows him greater academic freedom than those who work directly for NASA. "A lot of my coworkers who are civil servants are very afraid right now, and so I want to use what I perceive to be my advantages in my position to speak out on their behalf," he stated. "People are afraid that they're going to lose their job." When CBC asked NASA if it would take revenge on the signatories to the letter, NASA did not answer. The letter is formatted as an act of "Formal Dissent," a reference to a NASA policy that gives staff members the right to voice their opinions on choices they feel are "not in the best interest of NASA." The New York Times claims that the policy was implemented in response to the fatal Challenger space shuttle disaster in 1986 and the Columbia space shuttle disaster in 2003, when some engineers' concerns were dismissed. All seven of the astronauts on board perished when the Challenger broke apart seconds into its ascent on January 28, 1986. On February 1, 2003, the seven-person crew of the Columbia perished when it broke apart during re-entry. Signatories to the letter express concern that the changes will affect other programs intended to avoid such tragedies. "The culture of organisational silence promoted at NASA over the last six months already represents a dangerous turn away from the lessons learnt following the Columbia disaster," the letter continues. The Official Declaration of Voyager sent by signatories of ex-NASA and NASA officials to NASA's Interim Administrator Duffy Dear Interim Administrator Duffy, In light of your recent appointment as Interim NASA Administrator, we bring to your attention recent policies that have or threaten to waste public resources, compromise human safety, weaken national security, and undermine the core NASA mission. We, the signatories of this letter, dissent from these policies, and raise these concerns because we believe strongly in the importance of NASA's mission, which we are dedicated to uphold. Major programmatic shifts at NASA must be implemented strategically so that risks are managed carefully. Instead, the last six months have seen rapid and wasteful changes which have undermined our mission and caused catastrophic impacts on NASA's workforce. We are compelled to speak up when our leadership prioritizes political momentum over human safety, scientific advancement, and efficient use of public resources. These cuts are arbitrary and have been enacted in defiance of congressional appropriations law. The consequences for the agency and the country alike are dire. Main concerns raised by the officials 1) The officials oppose any modifications to NASA's Technical Authority capabilities that are motivated by factors other than mission assurance and safety. Already, the organisational quiet culture that NASA has fostered over the past six months is a risky departure from the lessons learnt in the wake of the Columbia tragedy. 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Additionally, NASA promotes national security by ensuring that the United States maintains its leadership in science and technology, and it generates economic activity that roughly triples the return on investment. 4) Because NASA's non-strategic staffing reductions will compromise the agency's primary mission, the officials oppose them. In the process of terminating, resigning, or retiring early thousands of NASA civil servants have taken with them highly specialised, irreplaceable knowledge that is essential to NASA's mission. 5) The officials oppose NASA's decision to stop participating in foreign missions because it would be betraying America's allies. The Artemis Accords have been ratified by 55 countries to date, and NASA's position as the global leader in space exploration is in jeopardy if we stop supporting missions with our longstanding partners at the European Space Agency (ESA), Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and others. 6) Because it hurts state and local economies nationwide, the officials oppose the cancellation of NASA funding and contracts for non-performance-related reasons. By eliminating competitive grant selection procedures, arbitrary contract and grant termination undermines private entrepreneurship and lowers the amount of private sector jobs related to the space economy. 7) Because it diminishes NASA's ability to innovate for the good of humanity, the officials oppose the termination of programs designed to train and support the agency's personnel. The agency's primary value of inclusion is squarely at odds with cuts to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessible programming that have already been put into place. The country's future space economy workforce would suffer a severe damage if the Office of STEM Engagement were abolished.

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