Earth’s Rotation Speeds Up: August 5 Will Be One of the Shortest Days on Record

On August 5, 2025, Earth will complete its rotation slightly faster than usual — about 1.25 milliseconds quicker than the standard 24-hour solar day. This makes it one of the shortest days of the year and among the shortest since precise timekeeping began in 1973.

Why Is Earth Spinning Faster Again?

According to Timeanddate.com, Earth is currently rotating faster than average. A typical solar day lasts 86,400 seconds, but on a few days this year, it will be slightly shorter.

**Three dates in 2025 — July 9, July 22, and August 5 — **are expected to be shorter by about 1.2 to 1.3 milliseconds. The shortest solar day ever recorded was July 5, 2024, when Earth completed its rotation 1.66 milliseconds faster than a full 24-hour day.

Scientists Are Still Searching for Answers

This recent acceleration puzzles scientists. For decades, Earth had actually been gradually slowing down. Now, without a clear explanation, it appears to be speeding up again.

What Role Does the Moon Play?

The Moon has a known influence on Earth’s long-term rotation. As it slowly drifts away from Earth, it creates a tidal pull that acts like a brake, gradually lengthening our days over millennia.

However, the Moon can also cause short-term variations. Its changing angle relative to Earth’s equator influences tides, which may subtly impact Earth’s rotational speed. Some researchers believe this could explain the shorter days observed in July and August 2025.

What Else Could Be Causing the Change?

While the Moon might explain short-term variations, scientists suspect other deeper causes for the recent acceleration.

One possibility is changes in Earth’s liquid core. Some theories suggest that the inner core may be slowing down, causing the outer layers to speed up in response.

Others point to climate-related factors, although no clear link to global warming has been confirmed yet.

A Subtle Shift, But with Real Impact

Even though these changes are far too small to notice in daily life, they have a real effect on precise timekeeping systems.

If Earth’s acceleration continues, experts may eventually need to introduce a “negative leap second” as early as 2029 — something that has never been done before.

For now, August 5 will pass like any other day — but just a fraction of a second faster.

Source : https://www.moneycontrol.com/science/earth-s-rotation-speeds-up-mysteriously-again-making-august-5-one-of-the-shortest-days-article-13390114.html