Scientists warned that Wednesday, July 9, could be the shortest day in recorded history as the Earth is expected to accelerate its rotation at a faster rate than ever before, according to Live Science.
Wednesday, along with July 22 and August 5th, are expected to be shorter than the average day by an estimated 1.3-1.51 milliseconds (a thousandth of a second). On those dates, the moon will be at its furthest distance from Earth's equator.
Richard Holme, a geophysicist at the University of Liverpool, told Live Science, "There is more land in the northern hemisphere than the south," Holme said. "In northern summer, the trees get leaves, this means that mass is moved from the ground to above the ground — further away from the Earth's spin axis.”
Through observing the atomic clocks in 2020 and 2022, which measure the vibrations of atoms to keep time, scientists have observed the acceleration.
While the exact cause is unknown, scientists theorize that a weakening magnetic field, the position of the moon, melting ice glaciers, and motion in the Earth’s core may all be contributing factors, according to the Mail Online.
Not the only sped up day
This is not the first time that a day sped by, as July 5 of last year was recorded as the then-shortest day after it finished 1.66 milliseconds quicker than the standard full 24 hours.
While Wednesday and the aforementioned days may be shorter than others, scientists believe that days are generally getting longer. Researchers discovered that between 1 and 2 billion years ago, a day on Earth was only 19 hours long as the moon had been closer to the planet.