Moon receding 1.5-inch yearly lengthens Earth's day over time
Technology
Turns out, the moon is quietly stretching out our days.
As it drifts away from earth by about 1.5-inch each year, its gravity creates tidal friction that slows down Earth's spin.
This gradual slowdown has taken us from super-short days billions of years ago to the 24-hour cycle we know now.
Days lengthen 1.09 milliseconds per century
Recent studies show our days are getting longer by about 1.09 milliseconds every century (tiny, but it adds up over time)!
Plus, climate change is also in the mix: melting polar ice shifts water toward the equator and slows earth's rotation a bit more, even delaying the negative leap second by about three years (putting it around 2028).
So yeah, both space and human actions are literally changing time!