June 29 became the shortest day in the history of observations.
Scientists announced that on June 29 this year, the Earth set a new record for the speed with which it completes one revolution around its axis. At least this is true for the period when researchers began to conduct their observations, reports Forbes.
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It is believed that the Earth rotates around its axis in 24 hours, but this is not entirely true. In 1973, measurements made using an atomic clock showed that the speed of rotation of our planet is slowing down. In order to compensate for this slowdown, scientists began to add extra seconds to the 24-hour rotation. The last time this was done was on December 31, 2016.
For a long time it was true: the rotation of the Earth was gradually slowing down. It is influenced, in particular, by the Moon, whose gravitational influence causes tides and makes our planet's orbit around the Sun elliptical.
But in recent years, the atomic clock shows that the speed of the Earth's rotation has begun to increase. We are likely entering a 50-year period where the days on our planet will be slightly shorter.
In 2020, scientists have counted the 28 shortest days since the 1960s. This trend did not continue in 2021, with the shortest day of that year being longer than the previous year.
But June 29, 2022 became the day when the Earth rotated around its axis the fastest in recorded history. And already on July 26, she made this turnover 1.50 milliseconds less than in 24 hours.
The previous record was set on July 19, 2020, when the Earth took 1.4602 milliseconds less than 24 hours to rotate around its axis.
Why the rotation of our planet is accelerating, scientists do not know. But there are several versions. This acceleration can be related to melting glaciers, which causes less weight on the poles, seismic activity, properties of the core.
The increase in the speed of the Earth's rotation is important because the atomic clock that is the basis of the GPS system , does not take this acceleration into account. If the planet rotates faster, it reaches a certain position earlier. Half a millisecond is equal to 26 centimeters at the equator. That is, the GPS system may be ineffective.
It is possible that this acceleration will affect smartphones, computers and communication systems synchronized with NTP services. The number of seconds per day here is defined as January 1, 1970.
In order to solve these problems, it is necessary to enter a “lost second”. However, there is a possibility that the acceleration will be followed by a gradual slowdown.
