The shortest day in history has been recorded: the planet is spinning faster

Planet Earth has had its shortest day since records began, but it’s entirely possible we didn’t realize it.

According to a recent study, on July 29, our planet completed its rotation 1.59 milliseconds before its record time, setting a new record in the archives and surprising experts on this topic.

The faster rotation means that the Earth’s usual 24-hour rotation was 1.59 milliseconds shorter.

Although the change did not result in any difference in the rhythm of human life, it could cause serious problems in technological devices. Especially on your cell phone. Here is the strange reason behind it.

What is the shortest day in history?

According to a report in The Telegraph, the shortest day in history was Friday, July 29, 2022. This after the time for the Earth to turn on its own axis, ended with 1.59 milliseconds before it had a duration of about 24 hours.

Although the exact reasons behind this acceleration in our planet’s rotational motion have yet to be determined, experts have pointed to “Chandler Wobble” – a discrepancy in the axis of rotation caused by the irregular motion of Earth’s geographic poles – as the main explanation.

It should be noted that, contrary to what is established by scientific hypotheses, the change in the speed with which the planet rotates has been constant in recent years. On July 19, 2020, it was determined that the day lasted 1.47 milliseconds less. That difference grew to 1.50 milliseconds just one week later, on July 26.

But the record refers only to recorded history: scientists believe that days were shorter during the time of the dinosaurs.

Many factors can affect the speed of Earth’s rotation, including weather and geological motions.

Why might a change in Earth’s rotation affect your cell phone?

Although humans, animals, and plants would not be affected by a slight change in the Earth’s rotation, a decrease in the length of days could have a “devastating effect” on technological devices.

Some technological innovations, including cell phones, take the time system of atomic clocks as their time reference. When there is a change in patterns, programs are forced to enter negative leap seconds to make up for lost time.

However, computer systems do not immediately recognize this action, which causes processing problems in essence. If the entry of negative leap seconds does not stop, the program may start to suffer irreparable damage, reducing the life of objects and rendering them obsolete.