The Earth continued to spin at a faster-than-usual rate last year, though its shortest day failed to break any new records. In 2020, the planet hit a new record by having its 28 shortest days since accurate atomic clock measuring began.
The Earth’s rotation has been speeding up in recent years. This record was nearly beaten last month, as the length of the day was 1.50ms shorter than 24 hours on 26 July. On 29 June, the Earth completed a full spin in 1.59ms less than 24 hours, according to International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service. Scientists have said that the Earth is spinning at a faster rate than usual, with a recent date being the shortest day recorded since accurate measurements using atomic clocks began in the 1960s. There are theories that the ‘Chandler wobble’ could be linked to the Earth’s rotation speeding up, which could lead to the first ever negative leap second.ĭo you ever feel like the days are passing by at a faster rate? Recent findings suggest this may actually be the case.
