We've always been taught that there are 24 hours in a day. But that's not exactly true. The universe is not exactly a clock, since the ways in which we measure time are only an approximation of reality in terms of rotation and translation.. The Earth, for example, doesn't take exactly 365 days to complete a complete orbit around the sun. This is why leap years exist.
It's been believed for quite some time that the Earth's rotation was slowing down. But 2020 was a surprising year, revealing a faster rotation than previously believed. Which translates into shorter days. This was detected thanks to atomic clocks.
Everything seems to indicate that this trend will continue in 2021, making it the year with the shortest days on record since 1973. But this must be taken into account: High-precision atomic clocks were only born in 1940.
What is the importance of atomic clocks?
Atomic clocks were created to measure time based on space and not on Earth's relativity. Through them it was determined that the solar day is exactly equivalent to 86,400 seconds.
Atomic clocks use distant astronomical objects as a reference to determine the length of the Earth's day relative to the rest of the observable universe. However, There are many factors that can affect the speed of the Earth's rotation, such as solar storms and global warming.
There is still much to discover about space and how the Earth itself works. In the meantime, as always, we want to encourage dialogue. Tell us, dear reader, what do you think about this new information? Is this a sign we should heed?
Image: Old Master
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