Kathmandu. In the coming days, the world may experience the shortest day in earth’s history. Based on their research, astrophysicists have discovered that the earth’s orbit has been increasing for the last five years.
Since 2020, the Earth has been rotating faster than usual on its axis. Because of which we can experience the shortest day in history. That is, this day will be less than 24 hours. This short day can be seen in this month i.e. July or August.
Astrophysicist Graham Jones has set three dates for the shortest day. It could happen on July 9 or July 22 this year or august 5 next month. Scientists believe that this will be due to the effect on the Earth from the moon’s orbit. This day will be 1.66 milliseconds shorter than the normal day.
Why is the day getting shorter?
The solar day should be exactly 86,400 seconds, or 24 hours. However, the earth’s orbit has never been completely stable. Research shows that in 2020, for some unknown reason, our planet began to rotate rapidly. This has reduced the duration of the day.
It was recorded one day in 2021. Which was 1.47 milliseconds less than normal. In 2022, it dropped by 1.59 milliseconds and then became a record on July 5, 2024. When the day was 1.66 milliseconds less than the normal 24 hours.
According to scientists, July 9 and 22 or August 5 are the estimated dates in 2025, when the moon’s orbit keeps it farthest from the Earth’s equator. It affects the earth and lasts less than 24 hours a day. Research says that the Moon has been slowing the earth’s orbit for billions of years. 4.5 billion years ago, a day on Earth could last 3 to 6 hours, but the moon’s gravity has made the length of the day on Earth 24 hours.
How worrying is the shortening of days?
A few milliseconds a day doesn’t make any difference to normal life. But it has significance in the world of technology and telecommunications. Scientists believe that if this trend continues, earth’s orbit will be similar to the moon’s orbit in about 50 billion years. After that, only one part of the moon will always be visible, that is, only half of the planet. By then, however, much would have changed on Earth. – Agency
