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Scientists reported that in 2020 Earth had started spinning faster, after consistently spinning slower than 86,400 seconds per day in the decades before. On June 29, 2022, Earth's spin was completed in 1.59 milliseconds under 24 hours, setting a new record.<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Robert Lea |date=2022-08-03 |title=Earth sets record for the shortest day |url=https://www.space.com/earth-rotation-record-shortest-day |access-date=2022-08-08 |website=Space.com |language=en}}</ref> Because of that trend, engineers worldwide are discussing a 'negative leap second' and other possible timekeeping measures.<ref>{{cite news |last=Knapton |first=Sarah |title=The Earth is spinning faster now than at any time in the past half century |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/04/earth-spinning-faster-now-time-past-half-century/ |access-date=11 February 2021 |work=The Telegraph |date=4 January 2021}}</ref>
This increase in speed is thought to be due to various factors, including the complex motion of its molten core, oceans, and atmosphere, the effect of celestial bodies such as the Moon, and possibly climate change, which is causing the ice at Earth's poles to melt. The masses of ice account for the Earth's shape being that of an oblate spheroid, bulging around the equator. When these masses are reduced, the poles rebound from the loss of weight, and Earth becomes more spherical, which has the effect of bringing mass closer to its centre of gravity. [[Conservation of angular momentum]] dictates that a mass distributed more closely around its centre of gravity spins faster.<ref>{{cite news |last=Pappas |first=Stephanie |title=Humans Contribute to Earth's Wobble, Scientists Say |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/humans-contribute-to-earth-rsquo-s-wobble-scientists-say/ |access-date=12 August 2022 |work=Scientific American |date=25 September 2018}}</ref>
==History==
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