FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Prepare to experience the fastest day of the year, although it will be almost impossible to perceive without an extremely accurate atomic clock. Tomorrow, Sunday, July 26, the Earth will mark the shortest day of 2026, completing its daily rotation in less than the usual 24 hours.
However, new data from the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) shows a clear trend: our planet's extremely rapid rotation appears to have peaked. After several years of record-breaking short days, the Earth's rotation speed is gradually slowing down again.
This subtle change in time is an important element for scientists, who constantly monitor the complex processes that affect our planet's movement in space.
Recording the Earth's rotation
In recent years, scientists have been surprised by a sudden acceleration in the Earth's rotation. The trend became apparent in 2020, when the 28 shortest days since the age of atomic clocks were recorded.
Even more impressive records followed in 2022 and then in 2025. The absolute record was set on July 10, 2025, when the Earth completed a full rotation 1.37 milliseconds faster than the standard time of 86,400 seconds (24 hours).
For tomorrow, predictions show that the day will be about 0.65 milliseconds shorter than normal.
Leonid Zotov, an expert from Moscow State University, told TimeAndDate.com that the deepest point of acceleration of the decade has now been largely surpassed. According to him, the planet has passed the point of maximum speed and entered a phase of deceleration.
The role of the Moon and climate change
The Earth's motion constantly undergoes small changes due to many physical and astronomical factors.
The Moon's gravity directly affects this phenomenon. The Earth's rotation varies depending on the Moon's position relative to the equator: when the Moon is in certain geometric positions, it can cause slight decelerations or accelerations of rotation.
At the same time, tidal forces have been acting for centuries, gradually slowing the Earth's rotation. The difficult-to-predict movements of the planet's liquid core, oceans, and atmosphere also play an important role.
Recent scientific studies have shown that climate change may also affect the length of the day. The accelerated melting of polar ice caps is redistributing large amounts of water across the planet, changing the distribution of Earth's mass and causing a very small but steady increase in the length of the day.
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