Time isn’t constant, even when it seems so. Scientists have noticed that Earth’s rotation speeds up and has been doing so since 2020, which causes our days to be a few milliseconds shorter. For the first time in history, we may have to deduct a leap second from our clocks by 2029 to maintain atomic time in sync with Earth’s rotation.

How Much Shorter Are Days?

The Earth’s whole rotation usually takes 86,400 seconds. However, since 2020, the length of the day has steadily decreased, according to the latest measurements. For instance:

• The shortest day ever recorded was July 5, 2024, which was 1.66 milliseconds shorter than a full day.
• It is projected that August 5, 2025, will be 1.51 milliseconds shorter than a complete day.

Despite their small size, these changes are steady and becoming increasingly apparent. Earth’s rotation speeds up slightly each year, although the reasons for this remain under investigation.

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Historical Shifts in Earth’s Rotation

As time has passed, the Earth’s rotation has changed dramatically over millions of years. The day during the dinosaur era lasted just twenty-three hours, with the rotation of the Earth reducing in length over time. Typically, the Earth’s rotation decreases in duration due to the Moon’s tidal friction, but this new trend in acceleration is peculiar, and researchers still have no good answer as to why it is happening now.

Why is the Spin Getting Faster?

The specific reason for this acceleration is currently a mystery. Several theories are being explored:

1. Dynamics of the Earth’s Core

The globe may be spinning up from the inside due to changes in the liquid core. Currently, this explanation has the strongest backing.

2. Ice Melting and Mass Change

Earth’s rotation is slowed by mass moving toward the equator due to ice melt and water redistribution brought on by climate change. They are concealing an even greater internal acceleration.

3. Activity of the Geology

Large earthquakes and volcanic eruptions can slightly alter rotation, but not enough to account for this persistent pattern.

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Earth’s Rotation Speeds Up: Days That Have Broken Records Since 2020

Since 2020, the following days have been the shortest on record or forecast:

Source: IERS

Should We Be Concerned?

No. This alteration is not concerning, according to scientists. The alteration doesn’t indicate a significant shift in Earth’s stability and is too slight to affect day-to-day existence. It does demonstrate that timekeeping isn’t as rigid as we may believe. Now and then, even the clock must change to reflect the planet’s actions. As Earth’s rotation speeds up, it simply reminds us that time is not perfectly fixed.

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Consider the Leap Second

Twenty-seven leap seconds have been added since 1972 to account for Earth’s slowing rotation. However, we could have to deduct a second instead, a “negative leap second“, because the Earth is now rotating faster.

Important Points

• Since 2016, leap seconds have not been introduced.
• If the trend persists, a negative leap second might be needed by 2029.
• We would be deducting a second from atomic time for the first time.
• No leap second has been verified for 2024 or 2025 by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) as of yet. These choices are made just six months in advance.

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Will Leap Seconds Be Extinct?

Maybe. In 2022, international timekeeping organizations decided to phase out leap seconds by 2035. Avoiding interruptions in technological systems where even a second counts, such as satellite communication, GPS, and financial systems, is the goal.

To avoid difficulties, some businesses, such as Google and Amazon, have already implemented gradual leap-second adjustments.

What This Means for Us

Your calendar and routines won’t be impacted by the days getting shorter. However, it serves as a reminder of the Earth’s dynamic nature. Nothing is permanent, not even something as ubiquitous as a 24-hour day.

Whether Earth’s rotation speeds up further will be revealed in the next few years. If this is the case, 2029 might be a new turning point in timekeeping history.

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