Days Getting Shorter on Mars as Red Planet Spinning Faster

Mars is spinning faster and faster reducing the duration of its days. This was revealed from the analysis of data collected by NASA’s InSight Lander.

The InSight Lander was active on Mars’ surface for four years before running out of power in December 2022.

The findings published in Nature, state that Mars’ rotation on its axis is accelerating by about 4 milliarcseconds each year. So, the Martian day is shortened by a fraction of a millisecond per year.

Researchers of NASA are not sure about the reason behind this speeding up of Mars’ rotation. Scientists say ice accumulating on the polar caps of the planet may be one of the reasons.