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Using NASA’s InSight Mars lander, scientists have precisely measured Mars’ rotation, detecting a subtle acceleration and the planet’s wobble due to its molten core. This study offers unprecedented insights into the Martian core’s size and shape, providing vital information for understanding Mars’ internal structure. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona. Data sent by the spacecraft before it retired last December has provided new details about how fast the planet rotates and how much it wobbles. Scientists have made the most precise measurements ever of Mars’ rotation, for the first time detecting how the planet wobbles due to the “sloshing” of its molten metal core....

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...