Earth Spins Faster for Three Days This Summer

Planet Earth is about to pick up the pace for three days this summer, and it starts on July 9th, 2025. These days will technically be shorter, but the change is so tiny nobody will even notice it happening.

Several milliseconds will be shaved off from the standard 24-hour day - that's way less time than it takes to blink. The difference is so small that only super-precise atomic clocks can even detect it.

Why Does Earth's Rotation Keep Changing?

Planet Earth acts as our giant timekeeper, but it's not exactly perfect at keeping time. It takes our planet 24 hours to complete one full spin on its axis, which breaks down to exactly 86,400 seconds. But Earth's rotation can change by a millisecond or two every single day.

The moon's position has a big effect on how fast Earth spins around. Our planet actually spins quicker when the moon's position is far to the north or south of Earth's equator.