The Earth spins so fast that the world’s timekeepers are considering something that has never been done before.
So far, July 9th and July 22nd have been unusually shorter. It is approximately 1.3 and 1.4 milliseconds, respectively. However, according to TimeanDate.com, August 5 is expected to be even shorter, losing about 1.5 milliseconds.
This follows a trend that has been observed since 2020. “There are days that are slightly shorter than the past 50 years,” Dirk Piester, of the German National Institute of Meteorological Research’s time promotion group 4.42, previously told Live Science.
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Why does the Earth rotate faster?
A day on Earth lasts approximately 86,400 seconds or 24 hours. This is the amount of time it takes for a planet to rotate its axis completely. However, how long it takes exactly to perform one perfect rotation depends on many factors, such as the location of the sun and moon, the gravity field of the Earth, and so on.
On August 5th, the moon will be the farthest from the equator, altering the effect of gravity pull on the Earth’s rotation. In this case, speed it up.
Related: Earth has just had an oddly short day, but the fastest day of the year hasn’t arrived yet
Over the past hundreds of millions of years, the Earth’s rotation has slowed down. This is largely due to the slow drift of the moon from our planet. However, since 2020, the planet has rotated faster than ever.
We’re only talking a few milliseconds, but for most of us it’s completely unperceptible. However, computers, GPS, banking systems, large telescopes, and electrical networks around the world rely on highly accurate synchronization to count every millisecond count that works.
These measurements are synchronized with a global reference time called the adjusted universal time (UTC). This time, we will calculate time on a scale of 1/1 billion (nanoseconds) based on over 400 atomic clocks around the world. Due to irregularities in the Earth’s rotation, UTC is largely independent of the length of the day.
Typically, variations in Earth’s rotation cancel each other. But over time, here the milliseconds begin to add up. And when this happens, the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) Global Timekeeper (the organization responsible for maintaining global time and reference frame standards) adds “Leap Second.”
What is the second leap?
Just like Leap Years, Leap Scolds are added to the clock, allowing them to make up for astronomical time differences based on Earth’s rotation, based on atomic clocks, based on UTC.
The second Leap was first introduced in 1972 and was only added when needed. However, technology has gone a long way since then, and seconds can cause all sorts of issues when it comes to accurate equipment and computer synchronization.
Patrizia Tavella, director of time at the International Weights Bureau of Weights and Measure (BIPM), previously told Live Science that a few seconds often cause failures and abnormalities in the computing system.
Tavella pointed to the aviation industry, which relies on highly accurate timekeeping to schedule flight routes around the world. However, different computing networks from different countries have their own way of adding additional leaps. “Because of the second leap, the airline had problems scheduling flights due to differences in time,” Tavera said.
As a result, in 2022, an international group of scientists and government agencies voted to retire from the second jump by 2035.
Do you need a “negative leap second”?
As the Earth rotates faster, some scientists wonder if a negative leap is necessary.
A negative jump involves removing 1 second from UTC if astronomical time precedes the atomic time of UTC.
Levine believes that the existing Leap second system is always a problem, and that the introduction of the negative leap second will cause even more problems.
“The main concern with negative leaps is that it has never happened before and that the software needed to implement it has never been tested,” he said. “There is a continuous problem with inserting a positive jump second even in 50 years, which raises concerns about the negative leap error and problems.”
Darryl Veitch, a professor at the University of Technology, who studies computer networking, including Clock synchronization, told Live Science he doesn’t think the second negative leap is a good idea.
“The experience shows that despite decades of experience, it is surprisingly difficult to get +ve jumps to work properly. So -ve jumps pose a higher risk, while the potential impact on networked society continues to increase scope,” he said.
Will you see the second most negative leap by 2035?
So, while negative leaps are unlikely to happen this year right now, is it possible in the near future?
“The best estimate is that the chances of a negative leap will be around 30% over the next 10 years or so,” Levine said.
This depends on many factors. One could be abolished by the second jump. Second, we have seen the acceleration of Earth’s rotation in recent years, but climate change can actually slow down as ice melts and alters the distribution of water around the planet.
However, Veitch said that despite recent measurements, the long-term trend in Earth’s rotation is to slow down. “What we’re experiencing lately may be short-lived, but it’s very difficult to say exactly the ‘short’ length. For example, it can last for decades as climate-induced changes occur,” he said.
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