Earth’s Quickened Spin Makes Today the Shortest Day on Record
09 Jul 202514:06 PM
Earth’s Quickened Spin Makes Today the Shortest Day on Record
Earth is set to mark Wednesday, July 9, as the shortest day ever recorded, with similar short days anticipated on July 22 and August 5, 2025. Scientists attribute this phenomenon to the Moon’s current position, which is influencing Earth’s rotation and causing it to spin slightly faster, resulting in days that are marginally shorter than usual.

A report by Live Science explains that the Moon’s position is expected to reduce the length of each of these days by between 1.3 and 1.51 milliseconds than the normal day.

July 22 and August 5 are projected to be comparably short, according to a New York Post report citing data from the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS). 

The IERS, which oversees global timekeeping, will eventually need to introduce a “negative leap second” to adjust for the string of shortened days – marking the first time such a correction will be implemented. 

This adjustment is currently expected in 2029.

“This is an unprecedented situation and a big deal,” NY Post quoted Duncan Agnew, a geophysicist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, as saying.

“It’s not a huge change in the Earth’s rotation that’s going to lead to some catastrophe or anything, but it is something notable,” he added.