A lot of people know that the Earth revolves around the sun every 24 hours, but they don’t realize that our planet’s rotational speed varies. This means that a given day may be shorter or longer than expected. This is why the Atomic clocks that regulate standard time must be regularly adjusted, adding or subtracting seconds. This is referred to as the leap second. This article will explain how this shift happens, and why it matters to our daily routines.

One of the most common rotating events is precession, a circular wobble of Earth’s axis, much like a slightly off-center rotating toy top. The change in axial direction relative to fixed stars (inertial space) has a cycle https://northcentralrotary.org/2021/07/13/generated-post-2/ of 25,771.5 years. This is also the reason for the direction of cyclones in the Northern Hemisphere as well as the Southern Hemisphere. Other rotating events include free nutation, the Chandler wobble, and polar movement.

In addition, to these periodic events, the speed of a rotator can also be affected by weather conditions and other factors like earthquakes. If the core of the Earth moves faster, the day appears to be shorter. This change is caused by the tidal forces that are acting on surface of the Earth as well as gravitational pulls coming from other objects in the Solar System, such as Jupiter and Saturn. This is why it’s important to consider the Earth’s speed of rotation when creating fun park rides such as Ferris wheels and Carousels.