Earth is spinning faster than ever, and the result is a shortening of the length of our days. Since 2020, each year has brought records for the shortest day ever, with Earth’s spin accelerating ...

If you’re wondering what the shortest day ever was, that happened on July 5, 2024, when Earth completed its full rotation 1.66 milliseconds faster than the standard 86,400 seconds.

While the Earth’s rotation changes over cosmic timescales, it also fluctuates on daily ones. We all know that a day lasts 24 hours, or 86,400 seconds, but that’s not perfectly accurate.

Scientists anticipate that Earth's rotation will quicken enough to create three shorter days between July and August, starting Wednesday, July 9.

Earth is spinning faster this summer, making the days marginally shorter and attracting the attention of scientists and timekeepers.

Earth has been spinning faster for the past few years — a trend that could lead the world’s timekeeping institutions to take unprecedented action.

On these days the Earth will be measurably—and, so far, unaccountably— accelerating its rotation, shaving from 1.3 to 1.5 milliseconds off of the usual 24 hours the typical day gets.

It wouldn’t be summer without the stretched out days. The dawns break early and the dusks come late, affording more time for lazy beach trips and long barbecues under the slow curve of the sun.

Nation World Earth will spin faster than normal on Wednesday, but blink and you'll miss it Earth is expected to complete a full rotation on July 9 roughly 1.30 milliseconds faster than usual.

Earth's rotation is speeding up today for the 3rd and final time this summer Kate Murphy August 5, 2025 The Earth's rotation will speed up for three days this summer. (photovideostock/Getty Images ...

Earth is spinning faster this summer, making the days marginally shorter and attracting the attention of scientists and timekeepers.