JaDed
Test Star
- Joined
- May 5, 2014
- Runs
- 38,484
On June 29, 2022, something extraordinary happened to the rate of spin of planet Earth. However, it probably had such a minuscule impact on your life that you can be forgiven for not even noticing.
Believe it or not, but you actually gained an extra 1.59 milliseconds to your day. We hope you spent it wisely!
But why? Well, according to TimeAndDate.com, on that day, our planet, as far as scientists can tell, set a new record for the quickest time to complete one rotation. In other words, while you "received" 24 hours that day, you only "spent" 24 hours less 1.59 milliseconds.
Bargain!
But what? Isn't the Earth's day exactly 24 hours? Actually, no, well, not quite.
The first thing to note is that there are actually "kinds" of days, depending on your definition.
The first, a solar day, is a period of 24 hours during which the Earth rotates so that the Sun appears at the same location in the sky. However, a sidereal day, which is defined as 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.091 seconds, is the time it takes for Earth to complete one full rotation on its axis with respect to distant stars.
……..
In order to account for the slower spin, the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) has even started to occasionally add leap seconds (it last happened on December 31, 2016).
………
There are also potentially confusing consequences for smartphones, computers, and communications systems, which synchronize with Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers. It’s defined as the number of seconds since 00:00:00 UTC on January 1, 1970.
To solve all these international timekeepers may need to add a negative leap second— a “drop second.” Though Earth may already be spinning as quickly as it ever will, a slowdown is inevitable.
https://interestingengineering.com/...ing-faster-and-the-shortest-day-just-recorded
Believe it or not, but you actually gained an extra 1.59 milliseconds to your day. We hope you spent it wisely!
But why? Well, according to TimeAndDate.com, on that day, our planet, as far as scientists can tell, set a new record for the quickest time to complete one rotation. In other words, while you "received" 24 hours that day, you only "spent" 24 hours less 1.59 milliseconds.
Bargain!
But what? Isn't the Earth's day exactly 24 hours? Actually, no, well, not quite.
The first thing to note is that there are actually "kinds" of days, depending on your definition.
The first, a solar day, is a period of 24 hours during which the Earth rotates so that the Sun appears at the same location in the sky. However, a sidereal day, which is defined as 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.091 seconds, is the time it takes for Earth to complete one full rotation on its axis with respect to distant stars.
……..
In order to account for the slower spin, the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) has even started to occasionally add leap seconds (it last happened on December 31, 2016).
………
There are also potentially confusing consequences for smartphones, computers, and communications systems, which synchronize with Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers. It’s defined as the number of seconds since 00:00:00 UTC on January 1, 1970.
To solve all these international timekeepers may need to add a negative leap second— a “drop second.” Though Earth may already be spinning as quickly as it ever will, a slowdown is inevitable.
https://interestingengineering.com/...ing-faster-and-the-shortest-day-just-recorded
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