They announce the official date when days on Earth will be 25 hours long – Enséñame de Ciencia

We have always lived thinking that there are 24 hours in a day. But many do not know that The length of the day on Earth has not always been the same. About 1.4 billion years ago, a day lasted about 19 hours. Now, although we think of days as being 24 hours long, they are actually a little shorter: 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.1 seconds.

So why is the length of our days changing and what does this mean for the future?

The reason for this is gradual slowing of the Earth’s rotation. Group researchers from Technical University of Munich studied this phenomenon using impressively precise technology. They use a ring laser gyroscope at the Wetzell Geodetic Observatory that can measure with great precision. tiny changes in the Earth’s rotation speed, reaching milliseconds.

Although these changes unnoticeably for us in everyday lifeleft clues to the geological history of our planet. Sedimentary Rocks of Australia revealed details about the length of the day in ancient times. These rocks are associated with Milankovitch cycles, which describe changes in the Earth’s orbit. Thanks to these cycles, scientists were able to determine that 1.4 billion years ago, a day lasted about 18 hours and 41 minutes..

A look into the futureExperts predict that in about 200 million years, the Earth’s day will be 25 hours long. As exciting as that sounds, none of us will be able to experience it. However, it is a scientific fact that it will happen as the The Earth continues to slow down gradualThis process is so slow that we do not notice it directly, but over time its consequences accumulate and become significant.

In addition to the natural slowdown, Other human factors also play a role in this change. Extraction The groundwaterThe construction of large dams and other changes in the distribution of mass on the planet may affect the Earth’s rotation, although to a lesser extent.

The interesting fact is that use of leap seconds. These seconds were added in the past to synchronize atomic clocks with the rotation of the Earth. However, due to the recent increase in the rotation speed, experts I’m considering cutting seconds instead of adding them. While this will not have a noticeable impact on our daily lives, it is a necessary adaptation to maintain accurate timekeeping.

The moon is also part of thisand the phenomenon. The gravitational interaction between the Earth and the Moon causes our celestial satellite to slowly move away from us. About 2.46 billion years ago, the Moon It was 60,000 kilometers closer to Earth.This constant removal affects the tides and stabilizes our planet’s climate due to the movement The axis of rotation of the Earth.