"Unveiling the Gravitational Forces that Saved us from 60-Hour Days"

Earth's rotation has been influenced by tidal forces from the Moon and the Sun, gradually lengthening our days over billions of years. However, from 2 billion to 600 million years ago, various tidal forces canceled each other out, keeping Earth's rotation at a consistent speed and resulting in days that were approximately 19.5 hours long. This period of stasis ended 600 million years ago, and our present 24-hour days are a result of the resonance between Earth's rotation and atmospheric waves. Rising temperatures due to global warming may disrupt this resonance and further lengthen our days.