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Earth is starting to spin faster — and scientists are considering doing something unprecedented
livesicence.com ^ | 1/24/2025 | Pandora Dewan

Posted on 07/24/2025 2:56:39 PM PDT by Signalman

Two days this summer have been unusually short, with the shortest expected on Aug. 5, leading global timekeepers to consider adding a negative leap second.

The Earth's rotation has accelerated in recent decades, leading scientists to consider adding the first ever negative leap second.

Earth is spinning so fast that global timekeepers are considering something that's never been done before: adding a negative leap second.

So far this year, July 9 and July 22 have been unusually short — by about 1.3 and 1.4 milliseconds, respectively. However, Aug. 5 is expected to be even shorter, losing roughly 1.5 milliseconds, according to timeanddate.com.

This follows a trend that has been observed since 2020. "We now have slightly shorter days than in the last 50 years," Dirk Piester, head of Time Dissemination Group 4.42 at Germany's national meteorology institute, previously told Live Science.

Earth's energy imbalance is rising much faster than scientists expected — and now researchers worry they might lose the means to figure out why an abstract illustration of a clock with swirls of light Groundbreaking atomic clock is off by less than 1 second every 100 million years

Why is Earth spinning faster? A day on Earth lasts roughly 86,400 seconds, or 24 hours — the time it takes for the planet to fully rotate on its axis. But exactly how long it takes to perform one full rotation depends on many factors, including the positions of the sun and the moon, and Earth's gravitational field.

(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: astronomy; dooom; earthrotation; earthspeed; godsgravesglyphs; livescience; millisecond; momentofinertia; precession; science
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1 posted on 07/24/2025 2:56:39 PM PDT by Signalman
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To: Signalman

2 posted on 07/24/2025 2:58:08 PM PDT by BipolarBob (I live by trial and error. Mostly error.)
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To: Signalman

Everybody extend your arms! Quick!


3 posted on 07/24/2025 3:00:38 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: Signalman

Obama slowed the rise of the oceans; he’s got this in the bag.


4 posted on 07/24/2025 3:01:53 PM PDT by BHI2025
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To: Signalman

They should tax it.


5 posted on 07/24/2025 3:02:22 PM PDT by Jeff Chandler (The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.)
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To: Signalman

Saw the movie. The Core.


6 posted on 07/24/2025 3:02:33 PM PDT by Fledermaus ("It turns out all we really needed was a new President!")
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To: Jeff Chandler

Obviously.


7 posted on 07/24/2025 3:02:35 PM PDT by Jeff Chandler (The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.)
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To: Signalman

“...researchers worry they might lose the means to figure out why an abstract illustration of a clock with swirls of light Groundbreaking atomic clock is off by less than 1 second every 100 million years”

Whew...those poor researchers, trying to figure out why an abstract illustration of a groundbreaking atomic clock is swirling with light. I’d be stumped, too.


8 posted on 07/24/2025 3:03:10 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: Signalman

Climate change.


9 posted on 07/24/2025 3:04:43 PM PDT by alancarp (George Orwell was an optimist.)
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To: Signalman

I hope this won’t be like the fuss around Y2K, for those of you old enough to remember.


10 posted on 07/24/2025 3:04:52 PM PDT by KittyKares
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To: Signalman

Losing diameter?


11 posted on 07/24/2025 3:05:15 PM PDT by GingisK
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To: Signalman

"It's a twister! It's a twister!"
12 posted on 07/24/2025 3:05:35 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Signalman
Usually that means more ice around the poles.
I.e. Cooling.

13 posted on 07/24/2025 3:06:23 PM PDT by BitWielder1 (I'd rather have Unequal Wealth than Equal Poverty)
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To: Signalman

maybe Mother Earth is spinning faster trying to shake off the humans that are causing so much trouble


14 posted on 07/24/2025 3:09:14 PM PDT by faithhopecharity ("Politicians aren't born, they're excreted." Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 to 43 BCE))
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To: Signalman

Milliseconds? Seriously? I’m not losing any sleep over this ridiculous news. When I start to spin off the earth then I’ll take this seriously.


15 posted on 07/24/2025 3:11:48 PM PDT by Omnivore-Dan (have to )
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To: Signalman

I had noticed and pondered on why my walking speed has increased.


16 posted on 07/24/2025 3:11:55 PM PDT by chief lee runamok ( Le Flâneur @Large)
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To: Signalman

You would think that with the moon moving farther and farther away, the Erf would be slowing, like as ice skater (not to be confused with an illegal) spreading her arms to slow her pirouette.


17 posted on 07/24/2025 3:12:44 PM PDT by Sirius Lee ("Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.”)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

MY first thought:)


18 posted on 07/24/2025 3:14:59 PM PDT by Cold Heart (BP S GW)
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To: faithhopecharity
maybe Mother Earth is spinning faster trying to shake off the humans that are causing so much trouble

The planet has numerous ways to disrupt or dispense with life on it. Floods, fires, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, ice ages, and various other ways beyond the control of the planet, like meteors, solar eruptions, etc.

19 posted on 07/24/2025 3:16:46 PM PDT by CatOwner (Don't expect anyone, even conservatives, to have your back when the SHTF in 2021 and beyond.)
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To: Signalman

Oh no! Maybe Hank Johnson was right! Seriously, though, read the Book of Revelation -— some apocalyptic outer space catastrophes are prophesied that will negatively affect the earth in an unprecedented way.


20 posted on 07/24/2025 3:16:51 PM PDT by Flaming Conservative ((Pray without ceasing))
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