Scientists explain why Earth’s spin is accelerating and what it could mean for timekeeping and technology. Earth’s rotation is subtly speeding up — and that means your days are getting fractionally shorter. While we’re not losing hours, the change is enough to get scientists, timekeepers, and tech experts talking.
Why is Earth spinning faster?
Experts point to a mix of natural and geophysical factors:
Glacial rebound: As ice melts, the redistribution of Earth’s mass affects its spin.
Core and mantle interactions: Shifts in Earth’s inner layers may accelerate rotation.
Weather patterns: Such as strong winds and ocean currents, and seismic activity also have an impact.
How much shorter are days?
Since the invention of atomic timekeeping, Earth has experienced some of the shortest days in recent years. Although days are typically a millisecond shorter, every microsecond counts in high-precision systems.
For us, what does this mean?
Risky leap seconds: Traditionally, scientists add a leap second to keep atomic clocks aligned with Earth’s time. But now, they may soon need to consider a negative leap second — effectively removing a second.
Tech disruption: High-speed financial systems, satellites, and navigation tools depend on ultra-precise time. A negative leap second could create bugs or timing mismatches.
GPS accuracy: Minor timing errors can translate into meter-level positioning errors for GPS.
So, should you worry?
Not really — at least not yet. Your everyday schedule won’t be affected by these adjustments. But for scientists and global systems relying on split-second precision, Earth’s changing pace is a big deal.
In the long run, the planet’s spin is expected to slow due to tidal drag from the moon, but for now, we’re in an unusual — and surprising — period of acceleration.
