A new study says that clocks may have to skip in a second — called a “negative leap second” — around 2029.
Earth's changing spin is threatening to toy with our sense of time, clocks and computerized society in an unprecedented way — but only for a second.
Ice melting at both of Earth's poles has been counteracting the planet's burst of speed and is likely to have delayed this global second of reckoning by about three years, Agnew said. The slowing is mostly caused by the effect of tides, which are caused by the pull of the moon, McCarthy said.This didn't matter until atomic clocks were adopted as the official time standard more than 55 years ago. Those didn't slow.
Between 1972 and 2016, 27 separate leap seconds were added as Earth slowed. But the rate of slowing was tapering off. Agnew said the core has been triggering a speedup for about 50 years, but rapid melting of ice at the poles since 1990 masked that effect. Melting ice shifts Earth's mass from the poles to the bulging center, which slows the rotation much like a spinning ice skater slows when extending their arms out to their sides, he said.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Elon Musk predicts AI will likely be smarter than 'all humans combined' by 2029Elon Musk said Tuesday that he believed artificial intelligence would become smarter than all of humanity combined by 2029, just five years from now.
Read more »
Chris Holtmann to Coach at DePaul, Agrees to Six-Year Contract Through 2029-30 SeasonChris Holtmann will be DePaul's next head coach. The former Ohio State coach has agreed to a six-year contract with the Blue Demons.
Read more »
1.3 million asteroids examined, Apophis poses no rebound threat to EarthThe asteroid is predicted to pass near 37,399 kilometers of Earth on April 13, 2029.
Read more »
Asteroid Apophis will swing past Earth in 2029 — could a space rock collision make it hit us?Sharmila Kuthunur is a Seattle-based science journalist covering astronomy, astrophysics and space exploration. Follow her on X skuthunur.
Read more »
AI will be smarter than any human by 2025, Elon Musk claimsElon Musk predicts that artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence by 2029, and the smartest human by 2025.
Read more »
Biden administration scales back electric vehicle targets in final auto emissions ruleThe Biden administration announced Wednesday that it will ease its final yearly tailpipe emissions reduction requirements through 2029.
Read more »