In the past years, scientists have stated that the Earth has been spinning on its axis faster than it has ever been in the last 50 years, so a day is now completed in less than 24 hours. At the same time, scientists determined that on July 19, 2020, the day lasted exactly 1.4602 milliseconds shorter than 24 hours.
In recent years, the speed of Earth’s rotation has increased even more and the days are getting shorter and shorter. A new one was added to the record set in 2020, and June 29 was recorded as the shortest day of this summer so far. This, due to a wobble in the Earth’s axis, caused the Earth to complete a single rotation in less than 24 hours.
It may be necessary to subtract a second from atomic clocks
The rotation we experience on Earth as day and night is not always exactly in line with its axis, the line between the North and South Poles. The biggest reason for this is that the Earth is not in the form of a net sphere, that is, it is in the form of a geoid. At the same time, many factors, including the tides and gravity experienced in the oceans, may have disturbed the rate of Earth’s rotation.
Due to the largest rotational speed disruption experienced on June 29, the Earth rotated less than 86,400 seconds and 1.59 milliseconds shorter than exactly 24 hours, renewing the record for the shortest day. If the world continues to accelerate in this way, it may be necessary to subtract a second from atomic clocks. That is, the clock can go from 23:59:59 to 23:59:60 before resetting at 00:00:00, or directly from 23:59:58 to 00:00:00 if a negative leap second occurs. can pass.
So what is the Chandler Yaw that causes us to have shorter days?
American astronomer Seth Carlo Chandler discovered in the late 1800s that the change in Earth’s rotation around its axis as a result of a wobble is called the Chandler Yaw. There are many theories about the cause and effect of wobble. Some think that tides and the earth’s liquid interior play a role, while others think it’s due to steady winds in the oceans suddenly pushing varying amounts of water across the earth, and even massive earthquakes.
Most people are not affected by the Chandler Yaw, but the wobble does affect astronomical phenomena, from the ability of telescopes to accurately point a star to celestial navigation.
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