Days are getting shorter, Earth is spinning faster-Should you be worried?

In a surprising update from the world of astronomy and timekeeping, scientists have discovered that the Earth is spinning slightly faster than usual, making our days shorter by just a few milliseconds. While this may not impact your daily life, it has become a major concern for global timekeepers and satellite systems.

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According to experts, this rare change in Earth’s rotation is mainly caused by the Moon’s current position. This month, the Moon has reached its farthest point from Earth’s equator (a point known as "peak declination"). When the Moon is farther from the equator and closer to the poles, it slightly increases the Earth’s spin speed due to changes in gravitational pull.

As a result, July 9, July 22, and August 5, 2025, are now recorded as some of the shortest days ever, ending 1.3 to 1.5 milliseconds faster than the regular 24 hours.

But the Moon isn't acting alone. Earth’s core movements, shifting tectonic plates, and even large earthquakes also play a role in these minor but important changes. These factors combined have led scientists to believe that the planet’s rotation speed is temporarily increasing.

To keep time in sync with this faster spin, international timekeeping agencies may need to make an unusual adjustment by 2029, a “negative leap second.” Normally, a leap second is added to clocks when the Earth slows down. But if the planet is spinning faster, one second may need to be removed from our clocks for the first time in history.

These small changes are not noticeable to people in everyday life. However, for atomic clocks, GPS systems, and satellite communications that rely on extreme precision, even a millisecond matters a lot.

Still, scientists urge people not to worry. Earth's rotation speed has always varied due to natural reasons. What makes this moment special is that the change may now require us to take a second away from our timekeeping systems, something never done before.