Earth Was Spinning Faster Last Year Than at Any Other Time in The Past 50 Years

[Disir]

Even time did not escape 2020 unscathed.

The 28 fastest days on record (since 1960) all occurred in 2020, with Earth completing its revolutions around its axis milliseconds quicker than average.


That's not particularly alarming – the planet's rotation varies slightly all the time, driven by variations in atmospheric pressure, winds, ocean currents and the movement of the core.

But it is inconvenient for international timekeepers, who use ultra-accurate atomic clocks to meter out the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) by which everyone sets their clocks. When astronomical time, set by the time it takes the Earth to make one full rotation, deviates from UTC by more than 0.4 seconds, UTC gets an adjustment.

Until now, these adjustments have consisted of adding a "leap second" to the year at the end of June or December, bringing astronomical time and atomic time back in line.

Earth Was Spinning Faster Last Year Than at Any Other Time in The Past 50 Years

Even time did not escape 2020 unscathed.

www.sciencealert.com

Yeah, it didn't feel like it was flying by.

 

[shockedcanadian]

Gdamn Russians up to something, I just know it.

 

[toobfreak]

Even time did not escape 2020 unscathed.

The 28 fastest days on record (since 1960) all occurred in 2020, with Earth completing its revolutions around its axis milliseconds quicker than average.


That's not particularly alarming – the planet's rotation varies slightly all the time, driven by variations in atmospheric pressure, winds, ocean currents and the movement of the core.

But it is inconvenient for international timekeepers, who use ultra-accurate atomic clocks to meter out the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) by which everyone sets their clocks. When astronomical time, set by the time it takes the Earth to make one full rotation, deviates from UTC by more than 0.4 seconds, UTC gets an adjustment.

Until now, these adjustments have consisted of adding a "leap second" to the year at the end of June or December, bringing astronomical time and atomic time back in line.

Earth Was Spinning Faster Last Year Than at Any Other Time in The Past 50 Years

Even time did not escape 2020 unscathed.

www.sciencealert.com

Yeah, it didn't feel like it was flying by.

Nothing but standard normal fluctuations (milliseconds) due to climate, weather, and too many chinese all on one side of the planet.

Once Biden redistributes them over here evenly, things will smooth out.

 

[Sunni Man]

I wonder if it affects the Earth's gravity? ...

 

[Dekster]

All a conspiracy to deny Trump his full 4 years.

 

[Moonglow]

Even time did not escape 2020 unscathed.

The 28 fastest days on record (since 1960) all occurred in 2020, with Earth completing its revolutions around its axis milliseconds quicker than average.


That's not particularly alarming – the planet's rotation varies slightly all the time, driven by variations in atmospheric pressure, winds, ocean currents and the movement of the core.

But it is inconvenient for international timekeepers, who use ultra-accurate atomic clocks to meter out the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) by which everyone sets their clocks. When astronomical time, set by the time it takes the Earth to make one full rotation, deviates from UTC by more than 0.4 seconds, UTC gets an adjustment.

Until now, these adjustments have consisted of adding a "leap second" to the year at the end of June or December, bringing astronomical time and atomic time back in line.

Earth Was Spinning Faster Last Year Than at Any Other Time in The Past 50 Years

Even time did not escape 2020 unscathed.

www.sciencealert.com

Yeah, it didn't feel like it was flying by.

The Earth was trying to get 2020 over with quicker.

 

[Moonglow]

I wonder if it affects the Earth's gravity? ...

Don't you feel the increase in gravity making you shorter?

 

[MisterBeale]

. . damn, and here I thought I was losing weight.

 

[MisterBeale]

I wonder if it affects the Earth's gravity? ...

Don't you feel the increase in gravity making you shorter?

uh. . . I think you got that mixed up.

Ever been on a merry-go-round?

 

[Moonglow]

I wonder if it affects the Earth's gravity? ...

Don't you feel the increase in gravity making you shorter?

uh. . . I think you got that mixed up.

Ever been on a merry-go-round?

except the Earth spins in a different direction.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Even time did not escape 2020 unscathed.

The 28 fastest days on record (since 1960) all occurred in 2020, with Earth completing its revolutions around its axis milliseconds quicker than average.


That's not particularly alarming – the planet's rotation varies slightly all the time, driven by variations in atmospheric pressure, winds, ocean currents and the movement of the core.

But it is inconvenient for international timekeepers, who use ultra-accurate atomic clocks to meter out the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) by which everyone sets their clocks. When astronomical time, set by the time it takes the Earth to make one full rotation, deviates from UTC by more than 0.4 seconds, UTC gets an adjustment.

Until now, these adjustments have consisted of adding a "leap second" to the year at the end of June or December, bringing astronomical time and atomic time back in line.

Earth Was Spinning Faster Last Year Than at Any Other Time in The Past 50 Years

Even time did not escape 2020 unscathed.

www.sciencealert.com

Yeah, it didn't feel like it was flying by.

Global warming to blame

 

[Unkotare]

Well you see, I had to save Lois Lane and.........

 

[james bond]

It's November 2024. Time for another election. Guess who's running again -- the one an only DJT.

 

[Unkotare]

It's November 2024. Time for another election. Guess who's running again -- the one an only DJT.

He's gonna be pretty old by then.

 

[james bond]

It's November 2024. Time for another election. Guess who's running again -- the one an only DJT.

He's gonna be pretty old by then.

Cons send Trump up in space and time travels slower for him (due to Einstein's special relativity). He comes back in 2024 not having aged much while everyone else is four years older.

 

[ReinyDays]

Higher density material is sinking toward the Earth's center ... angular momentum is conserved but we spin faster ... like a figure skater ... HAW HAW HAW HAW HAW HAW HAW HAW HAW HAW ... I've always wanted to say that ...

 

[james bond]

We saw Arecibo come down in December 2020. Now the man who yells the sky is falling has Goldstone left. Maybe a large meteor will take out China and Biden while he's visiting.

"Space.com: So we have lost capability?

Johnson: We have lost that capability, but we haven't lost planetary radar capability. But it does make Goldstone a more critical capability for us than it was. We did have some overlap and redundancy prior to loss of Arecibo, but now we have Goldstone. I think not only NASA but other agencies as well will soon engage in a study of what is the future for our planetary radar capability. I think the loss of Arecibo will provide the incentive to get that together, a concerted effort on the part of several agencies."

Defending Earth against dangerous asteroids: Q&A with NASA's Lindley Johnson

A major asteroid or comet strike could cause extensive devastation and profoundly affect life on Earth.

www.livescience.com