Scientists have made an interesting discovery – time passes much quicker now than it has at any other point in the last half-century. Since 2020, each day has been passing in under 24 hours as the Earth is completing its rotation around the Sun faster.
According to Daily Mail, the world’s timekeepers found that July 19, 2020, was 1.4602 milliseconds shorter than the regular 24 hours. This directly opposes the previous belief that the day is in reality just slightly longer than 24 hours.
The latest finding has sparked a debate on whether to delete a second from time to account for the change and bring the precise passing of time back into line with the rotation of the Earth. The International Earth Rotation and Reference System Service (IERS) announced that there would be no “leap second” added to the official timekeeping for December 2020.
However, scientists are now contemplating adding a “negative leap second” to 2021’s timekeeping, as a day is now slightly shorter than 24 hours.
The 28 fastest days on record, since 1960, occurred in 2020 as Earth completed its rotation around its axis milliseconds quicker than average. Scientists claim that on average, days are about 0.5 seconds shorter than 24 hours. Researchers around the globe are also considering deleting a second in a bid to keep the passage of time in sync with the Earth’s rotation.
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