Speed of rotation of Mars increases, days become shorter

Mars is rotating faster than before. Its speed is increasing by four milliarcseconds every year. Due to this, the days on the planet are getting shorter. This has been revealed in the latest research by the American space agency NASA. A research report published in Nature magazine suggested that the dynamic activities of Mars' molten core cause the planet to wobble mysteriously. Scientists have claimed to have achieved the most accurate measurement of the orbit of Mars so far.

NASA's Insight Mars lander sent some data to Earth before retiring in December 2022. On the basis of this, the scientists did the research work. The data was recorded by the lander with an instrument named 'Rotation and Interior Structure Experiment' (RISE). It used advanced radio technology and upgrades to antennas in NASA's Deep Space Network on Earth to track the planet's rate of rotation. It was not told in the research what is the reason for increasing the speed of rotation of Mars.

Bruce Bandert, principal investigator for the InSight lander at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, called the new information about Mars important. He says that he has been preparing for a long time to build a geophysical station like Insight Lander on Mars. The results of the research will help move forward in this direction.

Scientists believe that the reason for the increase in speed can be the ice deposited on the pole of Mars. Land covered with ice rises up due to pressure. This change in the planet's mass distribution could potentially trigger an acceleration in speed.