Rotating Events in Our Time

https://northcentralrotary.org/2019/11/16/rotating-events-in-our-time/

Our time is shaped by numerous spinning events, whether it’s the rotation of the planets around the sun or shift workers shifting between night shifts and day shifts. Some of them occur daily and some are unpredictable and irregular.

Precession is one of these rotating events that occurs more frequently. It is the Earth’s gradual wobble on its axis of rotation. The wobble is similar to the slightly off-center rotation of a toy top. The inclination of the axis in relation to fixed stars (inertial space) has a cycle of 25,771.5 years. This is the reason Ferris wheels carousels, ferris wheels and other fun rides have to be equipped with a solid bar that runs from side to side. A Coriolis effect is a different rotating phenomenon. It is a mysterious force that sways a moving body system that alters its revolving motion on a scale of weather. This is the cause of many weather patterns, including the alternating directions of cyclones affecting the upper and southern hemispheres.

Most people aren’t aware that the speed at which the earth rotates can alter. In the end, days can feel longer or shorter than we’d like. The atomic clocks, that maintain a standardized time, must be tuned periodically. This type of change is referred to as a leap second. This article will explain how it happens and what it means to our everyday lives.