The debate about the speed of the Earth’s rotation: can it speed up?

In the past few hours, experts from a pot achieved the most accurate measurements of rotation in human history Mars And it discovered for the first time how the planet wobbles with the “bulges” of its molten metallic core. They also found that rotation affiliate red planet It’s speeding up by about 4 milliseconds per year. After these results, the debate about the case Land I gained ground again.

either because it rotates faster or slower; Or because his heart is speeding up or slowing down. Or even, because its axis has been modified and is now slightly “crooked”. News about our planet grows as scientists analyzeHealth statusHowever, being the celestial body that contains us, it cannot be treated as being analyzed in What is the state in it

It is that while Mars is experiencing “a reduction in the length of the Martian day by a fraction of a millisecond per year,” specialists on Earth are analyzing what is happening on our planet. To find out what the controversy is about this ground reality, infobae Talk to the teacher and the doctor Raul Roberto Podesta, a physicist specializing in heliophysics, professor and researcher at the National University of Formosa (UNaF) and director of the Nova Percy II Observatory; And Manuel Mazzantia dedicated journalist who has covered the space program for over 13 years as the sole Spanish-language correspondent from Cape Canaveral.

According to the latest data from a pot, After analyzing the information provided by insight tools: a radio transponder and antennas known as the Rotation and Interior Structure Experiment, or RISE, the rotation of Mars is accelerating by about 4 milliseconds per year, which is equal to one Reducing the length of a Martian day by a fraction of a millisecond per year.

And although the Red Planet is the latest news, science, along with experts, is taking stock ground speed For decades its debate has been on the most important academic tables in the world. One of the latest information on Earth’s rotation speed It was introduced nearly a year ago, on August 3, 2022, when our planet reportedly experienced the shortest day in its history. According to experts, this situation is related to the oscillation of its axis, which made it complete the “day” in less than one second.

To be precise, we have chronology. In 2020, the planet experienced its shortest day since the 1960s. On July 19 of that year, the world completed its orbit 1.4602 milliseconds less From the normal of 86400 seconds, i.e. 24 hours in a day. But also, in the same year, they set 28 days is “shorter”. Now, in 2022 those “savings” would have been even greater.

On June 29 last year, a complete rotation of the globe took 1.59 milliseconds, less than the 86,400 seconds that make up a day.And According to the website timeanddate.com. While July 26, 2022 was 1.50 milliseconds shorter.

The fact is that this trend, which is evident in the numbers, also has an analogue. Is that scientists have witnessed a reversal in recent years, and the reasons behind this phenomenon are the subject of scientific debate. from Chandler wobblewhich was first discovered in the 1880s, is due to factors such as tides and lunar gravity, and theories abound.

One such hypothesis centers on what a group of scientists consisting of Leonid Zotov, Christian Bizward, and Nikolai Sidorenkov has argued for: the Chandler wobble. This phenomenon is described as a deviation in the axis of rotation of the Earth, which was discovered by astronomer Seth Carlo Chandler, and produced that The poles swing in a 14-month cycle.

This phenomenon is affected by factors such as ocean tides, atmospheric pressure, and movements of the Earth’s mantle. Although it is a cyclic pattern, its amplitude and phase can experience differences. To say it with an analogy, This fluctuation in Earth’s axis of rotation can be likened to the jerk observed at the summit gaining or losing momentum.

When you want to talk about the speed of the Earth’s rotation, experts explain that “the Earth’s rotation is normal, and we have measured it, in 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4 seconds,” according to Podesta. In this sense, he explained, our planet has “an angular velocity of 7.27 radians per second and a linear or tangential velocity of 1,770 kilometers per hour, which is not the same as an angular velocity.”

With this data on the table, the expert asserted that, for the time being, “there are those who assert that the Earth is spinning 1.59 milliseconds faster with respect to the usual rotation of time. But, on the other hand, they also deny that it is true that it is spinning faster.” Moreover, he said, “Some specialists, including NASA itself, deny it and assert that it has been in the process of slowing down for a long time“.

“These changes, in the distant future, will make the day a little longer, according to some specialists, also from NASA. But, since they are very low values, of fractions of a second, it is difficult to measure them, ”explains the director of courses at the Ibero-American Association of Science astronomy.

“If it is true that the Earth is spinning much faster, around 1.59 milliseconds, even though NASA said it was wrong, then this phenomenon could be related to melting ice.which would cause the Earth to rotate more and faster due to the mass distribution of the planets,” Podesta stated.

In this sense, Mazzanti stressed that according to the latest research, “there may be many factors that may have influenced this situation”, such as “the melting of the poles and global warming, among others; although this does not affect our daily life at all.” launch.” There are scientific papers that talk about that however The truth is, there is no specific reason why the Earth is spinning a little faster now, especially in the past 50 years“, he added.

“This situation, more than anything else, will be related to the issue of climate change, the melting of ice and the increase in the volume of water from melting glaciers. Especially due to the accumulation of water in the reservoirs of the northern hemisphere, which has a much larger volume than before, although There is no definitive reason”, the specialist noted.

In any case, Mazzanti warned, in line with NASA experts, that “It is very likely that it is temporary and that the speed will decrease again in the next few years, although we are not sure of this of course“. I think it is also linked to global warming causing more natural disasters than before. So, there must be a connection between the two phenomena, “added the specialist.

In addition to its relationship to the length of the day, experts warn of the emergence of other phenomena. “What will be the consequences? In the beginning, if it was really the time, the consequences would be minimal. But if it increases, the speed at which large tornadoes occur will also increase. he Coriolis effectPodesta noted that the effect from spinning would also increase over time.

This effect boils down to the fact that the planet causes things not to move in a straight line, but rather on its surface (like the wind) and to deviate slightly from its path, take a curve

For his part, Mazzanti stressed that this increase in speed “It wouldn’t affect our daily lives at all, though it could in those higher resolution devices or towersFor example GPS. Maybe they need to adjust to the micromillisecond difference.”

We are talking about a very small difference in years or centuries. But this difference can mean an accurate failure of atomic clocks or GPS constellations. At the same time, he noted that, unlike what is happening on Mars, the situation on Earth depends on its own characteristics. “Each planet can, depending on its characteristics, have a very small difference in the speed of its rotation. As the planet becomes more complex and the factors increase, this difference may or may not increase,” he concluded.

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