New Delhi: On August 5, scientists noted a strange phenomenon. On this day, the speed of the Earth’s rotation had slowed down than normal.
Due to this, the day became a little longer. However, this difference was not understood by ordinary people. But scientists have described this event as important. They have said that this event can give important information about the forces affecting the rotation of the Earth. The Earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the Sun.
What happened to Earth’s speed on August 5?
Scientists said that the Earth’s rotation that day lasted about 86,400.00145 seconds, which is about 1.45 milliseconds more than the average. This change in the Earth’s rotation speed is small. For this reason, it was detected by accurate measurements using atomic clocks and astronomical observations.
How many seconds make a solar day?
A solar day is 24 hours or 86,400 seconds. In this, small changes occur naturally due to changes in wind patterns, sea currents and activities in the interior of the Earth. Apart from this, the tidal pull of the Moon is also the main reason for slowing down the speed of Earth’s rotation.
What unusual thing happened this time?
Scientists say that the decrease in the speed of Earth’s rotation on August 5 was related to atmospheric conditions in the Southern Hemisphere. In some areas, stronger than normal winds caused a one-minute break on the Earth’s surface, increasing the length of the day by milliseconds.
How was the rotation of the Earth affected, and why does it matter?
Sea currents affected by the gravity of the Moon also contributed to this. According to scientists, when the tidal pull is slightly stronger, then such a phenomenon is seen. Activities within the molten outer core of the Earth also affect the rotation speed.
Scientists say that a change of even a little more than a millisecond in the Earth’s rotation can affect highly accurate systems such as GPS navigation and satellite communications. If this happens, many calculations related to time can go wrong.