Earth’s rotation is randomly speeding up, and nobody is quite sure why. These speedups, which have occurred several times over the last few years, haven’t had any effect on daily life, but they also haven’t gone unnoticed by science. Tuesday, Aug. 5 is the next date when Earth’s rotation is expected to speed up, shortening the day by between 1.25 and 1.51 milliseconds.
Should the first prediction be accurate, Aug. 5, 2025, will be the third shortest day on record behind June 30, 2022, when the Earth spun 1.59 milliseconds faster, and July 5, 2024, when it completed its rotation 1.66 milliseconds faster. If the prediction is off, then it may succeed those two as the shortest day Earth has seen in recorded history.
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