Earth is suddenly rotating faster, and effect could be 'devastating' - Know why

On July 29, the Earth broke its record for the shortest day as it completed a full spin in 1.59 milliseconds less than its standard 24-hour rotation.

Credits: NASA

New Delhi: The Earth is rotating faster than its usual speed. Recently, on July 29, the Earth broke its record for the shortest day as it completed a full spin in less than its standard 24-hour rotation. The scientists recorded planet's full spin was 1.59 milliseconds shorter than 24 hours. This, however, is not the only time it has quickened its pace.

According to the reports, back in 2020, the planet saw its shortest month that has ever been recorded since the 1960s. The shortest day of all time in 2020 was July 19, when the planet’s rotation was 1.47 milliseconds under 24 hours.

The next year, the planet continued to spin at a generally increased rate, but it did not break any records. However, according to Interesting Engineering (IE), a 50-year phase of shorter days may be starting right now.

Why the Earth is spinning faster?

The cause of the differing speed of Earth's spin is still unknown but some scientists came up with theories that suggest that it could be because of the melting of the glaciers means less weight on the poles or it could be because of the motions of our planet's inner molten core. Many scientists also suggest that it can be because of seismic activity or 'Chandler wobble,' which is a small deviation in the Earth's axis of rotation.

What will be the consequences of the Earth is spinning faster?

According to a report in the Independent, if the Earth continues to spin at an increasing rate it could lead to the introduction of the negative leap seconds in order to keep the rate that the Earth orbits the Sun consistent with measurements from atomic clocks.

However, the negative leap second would have potentially confusing consequences for gadgets and communications systems. This is because the clock progresses from 23:59:59 to 23:59:60 before resetting to 00:00:00. So notably, a time jump like this can crash programmes and corrupt data.