It’s official—the Earth’s rotation is accelerating and days will be shorter over the coming months, according to geophysics experts

“How fast the world moves”, you’ve probably heard this phrase many times, right? What you didn’t know is that, this summer, the world is literally moving faster. 

Earth’s rotation has sped up, and days are now shorter. You won’t notice it without precise instruments, and no, you won’t work less, at least not for now, sorry. But on July 9 and 22, and August 5, the days will be between 1.3 and 1.5 milliseconds shorter!! They won’t last 24 hours! (So what will our favourite video store do now?)

Sure, it may sound anecdotal, but science is pretty impressed. It doesn’t mean our planet is going to spin like a top and throw us off into space, but it is strange, especially because it’s due to lunar gravity. Want to know more?

Why is Earth spinning faster?

Earth rotates once every 24 hours, which is how long a day lasts. We learned that in school, right? Well, what we didn’t learn is that this duration isn’t always constant, and the position of the moon and the sun can cause it to vary over time. Even earthquakes and other geological events can change how fast we spin.

The Moon and rotation

It all depends on the position of the moon relative to Earth’s equator (the exact center of the planet). The farther it is, our axis behaves differently (like we can’t live without it), and when it’s closer, the gravitational pull makes us spin faster. Almost like an old couple who argue all the time, but love each other deeply!

The story of days

Even if you think days have always lasted 24 hours, researchers know that between 1 and 2 billion years ago, a day on Earth lasted just 19! Back then, the moon was much closer, and its gravitational pull was much stronger. Since then, its gradual distancing has been slowing Earth’s rotation, lengthening days until we reached the current 24-hour cycle.

In recent years, things have changed. In 2020, scientists recorded that Earth was spinning faster than at any other time since records began. In July 2024, we had the shortest day ever recorded: 1.66 milliseconds less than a full 24 hours!

Does this affect our daily lives?

Of course not,1.66 milliseconds means nothing to us, not even a blink. Our clocks, naturally, still mark 24 hours, although scientists say this tiny difference will have long-term effects.

International agencies like IERS (International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service) must adjust atomic clocks from time to time, adding or subtracting the so-called “leap seconds” to keep official time in sync with the planet’s actual rotation.

Is it because of climate change?

Beyond astronomical factors (which aren’t our fault), climate change (which is) also affects the length of days. That’s because melting ice causes more surface water and less groundwater, which changes Earth’s mass distribution and alters the planet’s weight.

It has already been studied that the day length increased by 1.33 milliseconds per century!

Even simple phenomena like the growth of leaves in summer can alter rotation! Why? Because during the northern hemisphere’s summer, there’s more vegetation, which changes the surface mass distribution, as geophysicist Richard Holme explained.

Are we ready to live on a planet that doesn’t spin the same?

Let’s be honest. We won’t live to see noticeable changes in day length, because these changes can take millions of years. In the (very) distant future, yes, this process will be studied.

For now, mark the dates. July 9 and 22, and August 5, 2025, will go down in history as the days when Earth spun faster than usual, hold on tight so you don’t fall off!