Rotating Events in Our Time

https://northcentralrotary.org/2021/07/08/generated-post/

The majority of people are aware that the Earth revolves around the Sun each 24 hours. However most people don’t know that the speed of rotation is not the same every day. A day may appear longer or shorter than you expect. The Atomic clocks, which keep standard time, must be adjusted on a regular basis by adding or subtracting one second. This is known as the leap second. This article will explain how this change occurs and why it’s important to our daily schedules.

A typical rotating event is precession, which is the periodic wobble of Earth’s central axis of rotation, much as a slightly off-center spinning toy top. The axial direction change relative to fixed stars (inertial space) has a time lapse of 25,771.5 years. This is also responsible for the direction of cyclones in the Northern Hemisphere and in the Southern Hemisphere. Other rotating events include free nutation, the Chandler wobble and polar motion.

In addition to these regular events, the speed of a rotator can be affected by weather conditions and other elements like earthquakes. If the core of the Earth is rotating faster, the day appears to be shorter. This is due tidal force acting on the Earth’s surface as well as gravitational pulls of other large objects within the Solar System such as Jupiter and Saturn. This is why it’s important to consider the Earth’s rotational speed when creating fun park rides such as Ferris wheels and Carousels.