Latest news with #Planet
Yahoo
a day ago
- Science
- Yahoo
July 22 will be the second-shortest day of the year, scientists say
Tuesday, July 22 will be the second-shortest day of the year, as Earth completes a full rotation in less time than usual. The planet on Tuesday will experience a shorter rotation than the typical 24 hours, though not by much: 1.34 milliseconds less than usual, according to MORE: Climate change is altering the length of days on Earth, according to new research Typically, we think of the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere as Dec. 21 or 22, which coincides with the winter solstice – July 21 or 22 in the Southern Hemisphere – which is the point at which the hemisphere is tilted farthest away from the sun. In those instances, however, it's only the number of hours of daylight that are affected, and not the length of time it takes for the Earth to make a full rotation on its axis. The 1.34-millisecond discrepancy in Tuesday's length is explained by differences in the gravitational pull between the Earth and the moon, which causes the Earth to spin more quickly, according to the Lunar and Planetary Institute. In recent years, Earth has broken its own speed records several times, including on July 5, 2024 – the shortest day ever measured, when the planet's full rotation was completed 1.66 milliseconds faster than usual, according to PHOTO: Spinning Globe This year, July 10 was measured as the shortest day of the year, with a full rotation occurring 1.36 milliseconds faster than normal. Aug. 5 is expected to be the third-shortest day of the year, projected to be 1.25 milliseconds shorter than usual. Earth completes one full rotation on its axis in 24 hours, or about 86,400 seconds, plus or minus a millisecond or so, according to Before 2020, Earth's shortest length of day was just 1.05 milliseconds shorter than usual. MORE: What to know about the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year If current trends continue, a full second may need to be subtracted from atomic clocks in the near future to accommodate for a "negative leap second," according to The system of leap seconds was introduced in the 1970s, according to Time and Date. While there have been dozens of positive leap seconds, in which a second was added, there has never been a negative leap second. The International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service, which monitor's the Earth's rotation, also determines whether to add or subtract a second. In its early days – about 4.5 billion years ago – Earth was spinning at a much faster rate, according to the Lunar and Planetary Institute. A full rotation only lasted between three and six hours. MORE: Melting polar ice is changing the Earth's rotation and affecting how we measure time: Study During the mid-Proterozoic period – between 2.5 billion years ago and 543 million years ago – the Earth had slowed such that a day lasted about 19 hours, according to a 2023 study published in Nature Geoscience. Since then, the length of an Earth day has slowed to its present 24 hours due to the fact that the moon's gravitational pull "steals" some of energy Earth uses to spin, in addition to causing tidal friction, according to the Institute. Additionally, climate change is causing days on Earth to become longer due to the melting of ice at the poles, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. As the poles melt, the redistribution of mass from the resulting sea-level rise also is increasing the length of a day, the researchers found.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Shortest day in history set for tomorrow
Scientists have announced that tomorrow could be the shortest day of your life, breaking a mark that was just set two weeks ago. That's because Earth's rotation has continued to pick up speed, and is expected to spin even faster than it did on July 9 , when everyone on the plant experienced a day that was 1.3 milliseconds shorter than normal. New data has revealed that the Earth appeared to have spun even faster a day later on July 10 , making the day 1.36 milliseconds shorter than usual. A millisecond equals one thousandth of a second, which is so impossibly difficult to measure that takes an atomic clock to track the numbers, measuring what's called 'Length of Day,' or LOD. LOD marks the time it takes Earth to rotate once, down to the millisecond. Normally, that process takes exactly 86,400 seconds, or 24 hours, to complete. However, Earth's rotation has been speeding up in recent years. While the cause is still a mystery, new research from NASA has suggested it may be connected to the moon's gravitational pull. The major uptick in speed this summer has led to the possibility that scientists will have to add a negative leap second to the calendar by 2029, meaning one second will be taken away from our clocks to keep them in sync. While the tiny change may seem insignificant, researchers have found that the shorter day can affect everything from satellite systems and GPS accuracy to how we measure time itself. Earth's rotation is affected by a number of different factors, both on the planet and out in space. Some of the potential reasons include changes in the atmosphere, the melting of glaciers worldwide shifting water volume, a change in motion inside the Earth's metal core, and a weakening magnetic field. NASA researchers have also suggested that this year's acceleration is actually a result of Earth hitting the moon's 'orbital sweet spot,' causing the planet to receive a tiny speed boost. Before this recent acceleration in Earth's spin, the planet was actually slowing down, due to the moon's gravitational pull, which has been stretching our days into the 24-hour cycle we now live by in modern times. Geoscientist Stephen Meyers, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, found that as the moon moves further away , its changing gravitational impact on Earth would slowly make days incrementally longer. However, scientists recently observed variations in the planet's rotation, causing the planet to speed up in 2020, 2022, and 2024. On July 9 and now again on July 22, the moon will be at its furthest point from Earth's equator, which alters its gravitational pull on our planet's axis. In simpler terms, the moon has been spinning the Earth like a top, holding on to the planet at the midpoint, which is usually closer to the moon than the north or south poles. On July 22, and again on August 5, the moon's gravity will exert more of a pull on the Earth's poles, essentially spinning our planet at its top, which naturally makes it rotate faster. The fastest day recorded so far was just over one year ago on July 5, 2024, when Earth spun 1.66 milliseconds faster than the standard 24 hours. Although scientists have been recording Earth's rotation since the 1970s, they only started noticing record-breaking changes on a regular basis in 2020. That year, July 19 came in 1.47 milliseconds short. On July 9, 2021, there was another 1.47 millisecond drop. In 2022, Earth recorded its shortest day on June 30, shaving off 1.59 milliseconds from the usual 24 hours. In 2023, the planet's rotation slowed again, and no new records were set. In 2024, however, the speed picked up. Several days broke the previous records, making it the year with the most consistently shorter days on record. These estimates are based on past observations and computer models, and include systematic corrections and smoothing to account for natural fluctuations. Right now, the world has kept time using Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC. Sometimes we've added a leap second to stay in sync with Earth's slow shifts. Due to these ongoing spikes in our rotation, however, the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) has already announced that no leap second will be added in 2025.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Earth will spin faster on July 22 to create 2nd-shortest day in history
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Earth will complete a full rotation in slightly less time than usual on Tuesday, July 22, making it one of the shortest days ever recorded. The difference will be just 1.34 milliseconds less than the standard 24 hours — not something you'll notice — but it's part of a puzzling trend in Earth's rotational behavior that has been unfolding in recent years. If it continues, a second may need to be subtracted from atomic clocks around 2029 — a so-called negative leap second, which has never been done before. The speed of Earth's rotation isn't fixed. Long ago, a day was much shorter than the 24 hours — or 86,400 seconds — we're now accustomed to. According to a 2023 study, a day on Earth was approximately 19 hours for a significant part of Earth's early history, due to a balance between solar atmospheric tides and lunar ocean tides. However, over deep time, a day on Earth has become consistently longer. The primary culprit has been tidal friction from the moon, which has caused it to gradually move farther away from Earth. As it moves away, the moon saps Earth's rotational energy, causing Earth's rotation to slow and days to lengthen. So why the sudden reverse? From when records began (with the invention of the atomic clock) in 1973 until 2020, the shortest day ever recorded was 1.05 milliseconds less than 24 hours, according to But since 2020, Earth has repeatedly broken its own speed records. The shortest day ever measured occurred on July 5, 2024, when Earth's rotation was completed 1.66 milliseconds faster than usual. Looking ahead to 2025, scientists predicted that July 9, July 22, and Aug. 5 could be the shortest days of the year. However, new data suggests that July 10 took the lead as the shortest day so far in 2025, clocking in at 1.36 milliseconds less than 24 hours. On July 22, Earth is expected to complete its spin 1.34 milliseconds early, making it a close runner-up. If current predictions hold, Aug. 5 will be about 1.25 milliseconds shorter than usual, leaving July 22 as the second-shortest day of the year. There are signs the acceleration may be easing. The rate of decrease in day length appears to be slowing, but the underlying cause of the recent rotational changes remains elusive. One 2024 study suggested that the melting polar ice and rising sea levels may be influencing Earth's spin. However, rather than driving the acceleration, this redistribution of mass might be moderating it. A more likely culprit is deep below our feet — the slowing of Earth's liquid core, which could be redistributing angular momentum in a way that makes the mantle and crust spin slightly faster. "The cause of this acceleration is not explained," Leonid Zotov, a leading authority on Earth rotation at Moscow State University, told "Most scientists believe it is something inside the Earth. Ocean and atmospheric models don't explain this huge acceleration." Zotov predicts Earth's rotation may soon decelerate once again. If he's right, this sudden speeding-up could prove to be just a temporary anomaly in the planet's long-term trend toward slower rotation and longer days.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Shortest day in history set for TOMORROW as Earth's rotation mysteriously gets even faster
Scientists have announced that tomorrow could be the shortest day of your life, breaking a mark that was just set two weeks ago. That's because Earth's rotation has continued to pick up speed, and is expected to spin even faster than it did on July 9, when everyone on the plant experienced a day that was 1.3 milliseconds shorter than normal. New data has revealed that the Earth appeared to have spun even faster a day later on July 10, making the day 1.36 milliseconds shorter than usual. A millisecond equals one thousandth of a second, which is so impossibly difficult to measure that takes an atomic clock to track the numbers, measuring what's called 'Length of Day,' or LOD. LOD marks the time it takes Earth to rotate once, down to the millisecond. Normally, that process takes exactly 86,400 seconds, or 24 hours, to complete. However, Earth's rotation has been speeding up in recent years. While the cause is still a mystery, new research from NASA has suggested it may be connected to the moon's gravitational pull. The major uptick in speed this summer has led to the possibility that scientists will have to add a negative leap second to the calendar by 2029, meaning one second will be taken away from our clocks to keep them in sync. While the tiny change may seem insignificant, researchers have found that the shorter day can affect everything from satellite systems and GPS accuracy to how we measure time itself. Earth's rotation is affected by a number of different factors, both on the planet and out in space. Some of the potential reasons include changes in the atmosphere, the melting of glaciers worldwide shifting water volume, a change in motion inside the Earth's metal core, and a weakening magnetic field. NASA researchers have also suggested that this year's acceleration is actually a result of Earth hitting the moon's 'orbital sweet spot,' causing the planet to receive a tiny speed boost. Before this recent acceleration in Earth's spin, the planet was actually slowing down, due to the moon's gravitational pull, which has been stretching our days into the 24-hour cycle we now live by in modern times. Geoscientist Stephen Meyers, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, found that as the moon moves further away, its changing gravitational impact on Earth would slowly make days incrementally longer. However, scientists recently observed variations in the planet's rotation, causing the planet to speed up in 2020, 2022, and 2024. On July 9 and now again on July 22, the moon will be at its furthest point from Earth's equator, which alters its gravitational pull on our planet's axis. In simpler terms, the moon has been spinning the Earth like a top, holding on to the planet at the midpoint, which is usually closer to the moon than the north or south poles. On July 22, and again on August 5, the moon's gravity will exert more of a pull on the Earth's poles, essentially spinning our planet at its top, which naturally makes it rotate faster. The fastest day recorded so far was just over one year ago on July 5, 2024, when Earth spun 1.66 milliseconds faster than the standard 24 hours. Although scientists have been recording Earth's rotation since the 1970s, they only started noticing record-breaking changes on a regular basis in 2020. That year, July 19 came in 1.47 milliseconds short. On July 9, 2021, there was another 1.47 millisecond drop. In 2022, Earth recorded its shortest day on June 30, shaving off 1.59 milliseconds from the usual 24 hours. In 2023, the planet's rotation slowed again, and no new records were set. In 2024, however, the speed picked up. Several days broke the previous records, making it the year with the most consistently shorter days on record. These estimates are based on past observations and computer models, and include systematic corrections and smoothing to account for natural fluctuations. Right now, the world has kept time using Coordinated Universal Time, or UTC. Sometimes we've added a leap second to stay in sync with Earth's slow shifts. Due to these ongoing spikes in our rotation, however, the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) has already announced that no leap second will be added in 2025.
Time of India
5 days ago
- General
- Time of India
One city, many tongues ooru retold in many languages
Bengaluru's multilingual character, rooted in its history of welcoming diverse communities, is a defining feature. While Kannada remains prominent, Hindi and English are increasingly common, especially among certain groups. Despite concerns about language chauvinism, the city's inclusive spirit endures. On a narrow lane off Brigade Road on a cloudy Sunday afternoon, a minor argument broke out over parking a two-wheeler. While there was nothing new about the spat, it bore a distinct Bengaluru signature. One argument, two men, three languages. While one was speaking in Kannada, the other switched between Urdu and Tamil, trying his best to go as close to the other's language as possible. Across the city, we often encounter conversations – not just such arguments – which involve two or more languages in an exchange of information, wishes, feelings, and ideas. Sometimes, there is even a crude mixture of regional tongues, which makes us wonder which language to classify the 'strange' dialect under. There are numerous memes and comic videos that portray the multilingual nature of the Bengaluru resident in creative ways. A Bengalurean manages to give directions, conduct business, and even argue in multiple languages, however imperfect in using them. This linguistic feature predates the arrival of diverse communities to the city's large PSUs during the decade following India's Independence. Kempegowda, the city's founder, is known to have welcomed diverse communities of traders, weavers, goldsmiths and artisans to the city in the 16th century. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Secure Your Child's Future with Strong English Fluency Planet Spark Learn More Undo You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru The evolution of Bengaluru from the distinct entities of the city (pete) and Cantonment, which merged around the early 20th century and grew to take the shape of the metropolis it is today, is a tale that is repeated so often that it is almost clichéd. However, this pattern of growth that the city underwent still explains the current distribution of languages in Bengaluru. While Kannada remains the language on the streets in, say, Nagarabhavi, it is not really the lingua franca of Marathahalli or HSR Layout. Though many might know and understand Kannada (or even Tamil or Telugu), they tend to start a conversation in Hindi and switch to Kannada in case the other person speaks it. Karnataka's consistent inclusion of Hindi in its school curriculum facilitated easy communication with the migrant population from northern India. According to Dr Na Someswara, the specific linguistic markers of the city's different parts no longer remain the same. 'There is a mixed crowd in most of these areas now. But I think a few areas like Basavanagudi and Chamarajpet have managed to preserve the authentic Kannada flavour,' he said. Dr Someswara is a household name in Karnataka. A physician by training, he is best known as Kannada's most prominent quiz master. He grew up in Malleswaram – amid roughly equal numbers of people speaking Kannada, Tamil and Telugu. 'We picked up those languages effortlessly. Also, they were comfortable speaking to us in Kannada,' he said. While Malayalis were rare, people speaking Urdu and Marathi were part of the city's linguistic landscape. A large Tamil community of workers developed on the southern outskirts of Malleswaram due to the establishment of textile mills that drew workers from Tamil Nadu , he pointed out. He recollected his frequent visits to Shivajinagar as a young boy. 'I used to look for spare parts from scrap dealers as I was interested in assembling radios and other electronics,' he said. 'Though the locality was Urdu-dominated, I could manage to converse in Kannada and develop good rapport with the people there.' Over the years, Dr Someswara has observed Hindi and English taking over the languages of the region. 'Today, we are often required to talk to shopkeepers and service staff in Hindi as they don't learn basic Kannada,' he said. Dr Jyothi Venkatesh, director of Bengaluru City University's Centre for Global Languages, draws inspiration from the city's multilingual character. 'For a language educator, the city's multicultural and multilingual landscape provides a rich context for teaching and learning languages. The presence of global tech companies and international communities further exposes learners to English and other foreign languages, making Bengaluru a natural laboratory for language acquisition, cross-cultural communication, and linguistic innovation,' she explained. A Kannadiga by birth and daughter of a diplomat, she studied French in Belgium in a local school, not as a foreign language, but as the native language of the locals. She was among the first students to pursue an MA in French at Bangalore University, before joining the department as faculty. She feels that the day-to-day experience in Bengaluru is often more multilingual than in many individual European cities. 'Kannadigas today are increasingly multilingual. However, among certain groups, such as the elite and urban populations, there is a growing tendency to rely primarily on English. This, sometimes, leads to a decline in deep Kannada fluency. At the same time, a strong counter current of cultural pride and language activism is emerging, aiming to preserve and promote Kannada amidst these changing linguistic dynamics,' she added. Of late, social media has been successful in tarnishing the city's image by portraying the people of Bengaluru as language chauvinists who make life miserable for those who cannot speak Kannada. So much so that the international Booker prize winner Banu Mushtaq had to clarify to 'national' media on behalf of the people of Karnataka. During a felicitation ceremony, she recounted how she responded to questions regarding intolerance in Karnataka. 'I had to explain to them how their actions have disturbed the inherently inclusive and tolerant culture of Karnataka,' she lamented. At the same time, it is also true that people tend to turn any argument into a language war and make it a point to bash 'outsiders'. Those unaware of the ground reality are often carried away by the exaggerated accounts of some unfortunate incidents. Sunil M Ghodke, an autorickshaw driver, attributed most of these fights to the tone and tenor of those in conversation. 'I come across people with both gentle and harsh demeanours in every linguistic group. In my experience, language has hardly been a problem,' he stated. Ghodke, a resident of Frazer town, speaks six languages, including his native tongue Marathi. 'I grew up in Bengaluru, but my origins are in Hubli. Around 500 Marathi-speaking people live in my neighbourhood,' he added. Amid all this, Bengaluru's spirit of inclusivity still stands tall as the city welcomes migrants with open arms. The need of the hour is mutual respect and, of course, accessible and innovative ways to learn Kannada and other languages. One such initiative by the Kannada Rashtra Telangana Association (KRTA) has been effective in helping children learn Kannada. These are children from Telugu-speaking families which have moved to Bengaluru. 'Many children are learning Kannada faster than their parents who are techies and have managed to learn very little Kannada,' said Sundeep Kumar Makthala, president, KRTA. He is inspired by the historical, cultural and linguistic ties between Telangana and Karnataka. 'The ancient Kannada poet Pampa was closely associated with the Telugu states. The two states have a lot in common, including languages, history, food and festivals,' he said. The association has been sanctioned a Telangana Bhavan that was planned on the lines of a Kannada Bhavan in Hyderabad. 'It will be a centre of cultural exchange where we celebrate iconic Telugu festivals like Bathukamma,' Makthala said. Blending into the linguistic fabric of the city takes both effort and support. Letting go of resistance was all it took to start learning a new language in a city like Bengaluru. As someone rightly pointed out through a message written inside an autorickshaw, a photo of which went viral: 'Don't be a guest forever.'
