Mumbai, July 22: If reports are to be believed, the Earth spun faster this month and recorded the shortest day of this year on Thursday, July 10. While the Earth spinning event is over, the world will witness a similar event today, July 22 and on Tuesday, August 5. According to data released by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service and the US Naval Observatory, the Earth recorded its shortest day this year on July 10, when it completed a full rotation faster by a fraction of a second (1.36 milliseconds) than a standard day.

In the same way, the Earth is also expected to spin a bit faster today, July 22 (Tuesday), by skipping about 1.34 milliseconds off the usual 24-hour day. This will make it the second-shortest day of the year so far after the July 10 event during which Earth spun at 1.36 milliseconds shorter than a standard day, reports CNN. The two shorter days on July 22 and August 5 are predicted to be 1.34 and 1.25 milliseconds shorter than the usual 24 hours. Mercury Retrograde 2025 Begins: What Does Angel Number 333 Mean? What Should You Not Buy During Retrograde? Your Guide to the Planetary Phenomenon.

Earth Recorded the Shortest Day on July 10

It must be noted that the length of a day is the time it takes for the earth to complete one full rotation on its axis ie.e 24 hours or 86,400 seconds on average. That said, each rotation of the Earth is slightly irregular due to factors such as the gravitational pull of the moon, seasonal changes in the atmosphere and the influence of Earth's liquid core. As a result, the full rotation of the Earth can take a little less or slightly more than 86,400 seconds. The report further states that the discrepancies can affect computers, satellites and telecommunications in the long run.

Until 2020, the Shortest Day Ever Recorded Was 1.05 Milliseconds

It is also reported that a strange pattern has developed in recent years where the Earth has been observed rotating slightly faster. This trend is expected to continue going forward. It is worth noting that until 2020, the shortest day ever recorded was 1.05 milliseconds, which means the Earth completed its rotation in 1.05 milliseconds less than 24 hours. Since then, the Earth has been constantly crossing this number and went on to record its shortest day ever on July 5, 2024, at 1.66 milliseconds. Perseids Meteor Shower 2025 in India Peak Dates and Where to See: Check Shooting Stars View Timings, How To Watch and Other Details of the Celestial Display.

The Earth was known to be slowing down for several decades, thereby making days marginally longer. This phenomenon led to adjustments, known as the positive leap seconds, being made to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to slow down the atomic clock and keep it in sync with the phenomenon. Since 172, this has happened at least 27 times. However, the atomic time might possibly need adjustments in the opposite direction as the Earth continues to rotate faster.

Scientists are keeping a close eye on the shortening of days as several global systems depend on accurate timekeeping.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 23, 2025 12:03 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).