And if time flows faster than we think? This summer, the Earth experienced some unusually short days, to the point where the scientists They first consider the probability of being removed a second from the world -class coordinated time, according to a report Livescience.
According to the timeanddate.com website, August 5th may be the shortest day ever recorded since the individual watches on Earth have been applied. Already, on July 9 and 22, the day was reduced by more than one milliseconds, according to scientists.
Because the earth accelerates
Normally, a complete rotation of the Earth takes 86,400 seconds. In practice, however, this time changes slightly because of the gravity, position of the Moon and the Sun, but also the activity in the core of the planet. On August 5th, the position of the Moon is expected to accelerate the rotation slightly.
From 2020 onwards, scientists have noticed that the days have begun to shorten. “We now have a little shorter days than in the last five decades,” says Dirk Pister, a specialist in the timing from Germany.
Problems for digital systems
Although the difference is not perceived by most people, it affects critical infrastructure. GPS systems, banking transactions, satellites, air transport and energy networks are based on absolute synchronization.
The global coordinated time (UTC), calculated through more than 400 individual watches, does not always follow the speed of rotation of the Earth. To cover this divergence, scientists add a “second jump” from time to time. But it has never been removed a second – something called “negative jump”.
The introduction of such a negative jump would be a worldwide first. However, many experts warn that it can cause serious malfunctions in automated systems. As early as 2022, an international agreement provides for the abolition of second jumps by 2035.
It is estimated that there is about 30% likely to need to remove a second in the next decade. It will all depend on the effect of climate change, which can affect the distribution of the masses on Earth – and thus the speed of rotation of the planet.