In recent weeks, Earth has experienced some of its shortest days on record, spinning quickly enough to shave 1.4 milliseconds off its usual 24-hour day. This natural acceleration in the planet’s spin is hard to notice, but it might not be unfamiliar to those who feel like the world is spinning out of control.
Author Alex Foster explores this concept in his debut novel Circular Motion, where he charts what would happen if Earth sped up by a minute or an hour. The book delves into the effects of the planet’s acceleration on various aspects of life, including productivity, animal migration patterns, and even the appearance of the northern lights.
As Earth spins faster, its magnetic field strengthens, but this could disrupt everything from cyclones to the direction of gravity. Foster calculated the strength and direction of “gravity loss” in different locations, imagining how it would feel like experiencing a drunken brawl at 70% g or watching the Beijing skyline tilt away from you by 7 degrees.
The novel asks a crucial question: how do we find belonging in a world that’s increasingly off-kilter? In Circular Motion, no aspect of the characters’ lives goes untouched by the planet’s acceleration. Foster explores themes of love, purpose, and self, making it a thought-provoking read for anyone interested in science fiction and its implications on modern life.
Foster’s book is now available at Grove Press and has been selected as the latest pick for the New Scientist Book Club. Sign up to read along with us here.
Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2490827-what-would-it-feel-like-to-be-on-a-planet-spinning-out-of-control