Feed: Slashdot
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Title: Earth Is Spinning Faster and Days Are Getting Shorter, for Now
Link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/07/11/1741...
An anonymous reader shares a report: This week has seen the shortest days of
the year so far. According to data from the U.S. Naval Observatory and the
International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service, Tuesday's
rotation was about 1.34 milliseconds less than 24 hours. More quick spins are
expected this week, later this month and in early August, according to
predictions from the website Time and Date. This isn't completely out of the
ordinary: Our world's spins have been faster than usual lately. The average
day has mostly shortened over the past decade, and within the past five years
or so, the full rotation has clocked in at a hair less than 24 hours more
often than not. Factors driving the change include movements at Earth's core,
atmospheric changes and the moon's position. But long-term trends do not
suggest that the days will shorten in perpetuity. In fact, it is just the
opposite. For many millenniums, the days have been growing longer. A
Tyrannosaurus rex that lived 70 million years ago would have experienced an
average daily rotation of about 23 1/2 hours, studies have found.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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