Earth is spinning faster, atomic clocks must be reduced

Wednesday, 22 December 2021 – 14:02 WIB

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VIVA – Earth spinning faster than half a century ago and if it continues to spin faster then humans will have to remove one second from atomic clock, say the scientists.

The speed of a planet rotating on its axis has varied throughout history. In fact the Earth rotated 420 times per year millions of years ago. But now Earth does it only 365 times.

However, sometimes the rotation speed is slightly different, affecting the global timer which requires an additional leap second when the world goes a little faster. Daily Mail, Wednesday, December 22, 2021.

British National Physical Laboratory scientist Peter Whibberley has warned that if the rotation rate increases further, a reduction in leap seconds may be necessary.

Each day on Earth contains 86,400 seconds, but the rotation is not uniform. That is, for a year, each day has more or less a fraction of a second.

This is caused by the movement of the Earth’s core, oceans and atmosphere as well as the pull from the Moon. Atomic clocks are very precise and measure time by the movement of electrons in atoms that have been cooled to zero.

So, to keep the atomic clock in line with the number of seconds in Earth’s rotation, leap seconds have been added every 18 months or so since 1972.

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