![]() ![]() Study of Babylonian and Chinese astronomical observations dating back to 720 BC helped scientists better understand these changes. This was discovered in part through fossil records. Another 1.8 billion years further back, around the time life on Earth began moving from single to multicellular organisms, days were just 17 hours long. This causes days to grow by an average of about 2 milliseconds each century, which really adds up as you go further back.Ħ20 million years ago, days were 2 hours shorter than today. Scientists have long known that Earth's spin is gradually slowing. Earth is slowing down, days are getting longer That look forward is critical to the other service the IERS provides, leap days. The IERS measures each day's length to the ten thousandth of a second, issuing a weekly report with predictions for the next 365 days. Earth's rotation varies throughout the year and over the decades (Image: Rice, Data: US Naval Observatory/IERS) ![]()
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