The Earth’s rotation speed is expected to increase over the next few months, resulting in some days being unusually short. On July 9, July 22, and August 5, the moon’s gravitational pull will affect the Earth’s axis, causing each day to be between 1.3 and 1.51 milliseconds shorter than normal. This phenomenon is not new, as Earth’s rotation has been slowing down due to various factors such as changes in the sun’s position, the balance of mass on the planet, and human activity.
About 1 billion years ago, a day on Earth was only 19 hours long due to the moon’s stronger gravitational pull. However, as the moon moved away from the Earth, days have been getting longer. In recent years, scientists have reported variations in the Earth’s rotation, with the planet spinning more quickly than at any point since records began in the 1970s.
The upcoming event is expected to cause the Earth’s spin to speed up, making some days shorter than usual. The moon’s position will be at its furthest distance from the Earth’s equator on these dates, which will change the impact of its gravitational pull on the planet’s axis. This effect can be compared to a spinning top, where holding it from the top and bottom causes it to rotate faster.
Recent research suggests that human activity is also contributing to the change in the planet’s rotation. The movement of ice and groundwater linked to climate change has increased the length of our days by 1.33 milliseconds per century between 2000 and 2018. Single events, such as earthquakes, can also affect the Earth’s spin.
The impact on time zones is unlikely to be significant, but scientists will monitor the effect and add a “leap second” to UTC if necessary to bring clocks back in line with the planet’s rotation. The International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) tracks this phenomenon, which is why some of our clocks may appear to lose a second or two over time.
Source: https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/earth-is-going-to-spin-much-faster-over-the-next-few-months-so-fast-that-several-days-are-going-to-get-shorter