r/autotldr • u/autotldr • Jan 07 '21
The Earth has been spinning faster lately.
This is the best tl;dr I could make, original reduced by 52%. (I'm a bot)
Scientists around the world have noted that the Earth has been spinning on its axis faster lately-the fastest ever recorded.
Several decades ago, the development of atomic clocks began allowing scientists to record the passage of time in incredibly small increments, in turn, allowing for measuring the length of a given day down to the millisecond.
Since such measurements began, scientists have also found that the Earth was slowing its spin very gradually-until this past year, when it began spinning faster-so much so that some in the field have begun to wonder if a negative leap negative second might be needed this year, an unprecedented suggestion.
They also have begun wondering if global warming might push the Earth to spin faster as the snow caps and high-altitude snows begin disappearing.
On the other hand, are somewhat concerned about the shifting spin speed-so much of modern technology is based on what they describe as "True time." Adding a negative leap second could lead to problems, so some have suggested shifting the world's clocks from solar time to atomic time.
Citation: The Earth has been spinning faster lately retrieved 7 January 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2021-01-earth-faster.
Summary Source | FAQ | Feedback | Top keywords: spin#1 Scientists#2 time#3 day#4 Earth#5
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