Earth is Now Spinning Slower; Should Scientists Blame Leap Seconds or Earthquakes?

Despite speeding up last year, the Earth's rotation has begun to slow. The rotation of the planet changes somewhat throughout time. However, there may be an impact on our time this time.

Scientists aren't sure what's causing the Earth's rotation rate to accelerate. Others have postulated various causes. Experts believe that this rate is only a transitory impact and that the Earth's rotation rate will begin to change in the future.

Earth Rotates Every Every 24 Hours, Right?

Each Earth day has an average of 86,400 seconds, Live Science said. That's around 1,440 minutes, or 24 hours. That's one solar day, which people measure by the apparent motion of the Sun across the sky, despite the fact that the Earth's rotation clearly causes it.

The rotation of the Earth, however, isn't perfect. Forbes said the planet does not always function predictably. Depending on the movement of the core, seas, and atmosphere, the movement fluctuates somewhat all the time.

However, the planet has recently begun to rotate more slowly, according to Time and Date. The first half of 2021 was still fast, with an average day length of 0.39 milliseconds shorter than in 2020. However, between July 1 and September 30, the days prolonged by 0.05 milliseconds on average, compared to 2020.

This signifies that the Earth's rotation is no longer accelerating. However, it continues to spin faster than usual. In around ten years, a negative leap second may be necessary based on the present rotation rate.

ALSO READ: A Day Was Shorter Than 24 Hours in 2020 Because of Earth Spinning Faster

Here's Why Earth is Spinning Slowly

According to a recent report in the Express UK, space scientists now use so-called atomic clocks to set the Universal Coordinated Time (UTC).

Various professionals can estimate the precise time of Earth by the movement of atoms' electrons thanks to these effective clocks. In 2020, some scientists noticed that the planet's rotation had sped up, causing them to change the Earth's standard second.

However, according to a new database, the Earth slowed by up to 0.5 milliseconds from July 1 to September 30. They now claim that it will continue to slow down in the first half of 2021.

According to Science Alert, a force that the moon produces might impact the Earth's rotation. If the planet's natural satellite's gravitational attraction is too strong, it will most likely revolve more slowly than usual.

On the other hand, earthquakes are the most prevalent cause of a slower Earth rotation because these natural events alter the planet's mass distribution. Experts have yet to issue a clear warning about the planet's slowing rotation.

Worry No More About This Phenomenon, Experts Say

Although it will have little impact on our daily lives, the BBC's Science Focus reports that it might have major consequences for technology such as GPS satellites, cellphones, computers, and communication networks, which all rely on exact timing systems.

However, such issues can be solved in the end, possibly by simply deleting a leap second rather than adding one. So, unless the shortening of the day is due to human activities, we shouldn't be concerned.