The Earth's rotation has increased in recent decades, leading scientists to speculate about the introduction of the first ever negative leap second. (Image credit: Gearstd/Getty Images)
The Earth is spinning so fast that the world's timekeepers are considering doing something that has never been done before: adding a negative leap second.
This year, July 9 and 22 were unusually short, at about 1.3 and 1.4 milliseconds, respectively. However, according to timeanddate.com, August 5 is expected to be even shorter, at about 1.5 milliseconds.
That's in line with an observed trend that began in 2020. “The days are now a little shorter than they have been in the last 50 years,” Dirk Pister, head of the 4.42 time group at Germany's National Meteorological Institute, previously told Live Science.
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Sourse: www.livescience.com
