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Anyone trotting out the well-worn “it’s been a long day” line on July 22 might end up having to rephrase, as Earth is set for its second shortest day on record due to an inexplicable recent acceleration of the planet’s rotation.
The latest estimate is that July 22 will end an imperceptible 1.34 milliseconds off the full 86,400 seconds or 24 hours, according to the US Naval Observatory and the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS).
That’s a fraction of a blink of an eye, which lasts around 100 milliseconds. Blink and you’ll miss it, in other words.
But there is even a chance that July 22 could end up breaking the record for the shortest-ever day, which was clocked on July 5 last year.
Either way, July 22 is just the latest in a series of shorter days this year as Earth spins faster than usual.
If the trend continues, it will require an adjustment to clocks sometime down the line, perhaps by shaving off a second by 2029. After all, real time and time recorded on atomic clocks has to match up as best as can be achieved, as communications devices and satellites could otherwise be thrown off-kilter.
Records have only been kept since 1973, following the invention of atomic clocks accurate and precise enough to allow for such detailed and intricate timekeeping.
Why Earth is spinning more quickly remains unknown, though scientists have said the most likely explanation lies deep inside the planet – in the inner and outer cores.
Earth’s inner core, which is believed to be a solid ball of iron and nickel with its own rotation, was last year reported to have slowed down, according to research published in the journal Nature.
Other researchers have detected changes to the Earth’s magnetic field, such as a potential weakening that could leave the planet more vulnerable to solar storms. The field is thought to be generated by the Earth’s outer core, which appears to be made up of molten metals and acts like a giant dynamo.
Normally, Tuesday would be 86,400 seconds long. But a mysteriously short 86,398 seconds today will make this the second shortest day on record. Hannes P. Albert/dpa
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