This view of Earth comes from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer aboard the Terra satellite.
Yikes! Just how big was the magnitude 8.8 earthquake in Chile? One scientist says the shaking may have affected the entire planet by shifting Earth on its axis. This possibly may have shortened the length of each day on Earth by about 1.26 microseconds. Using a complex model JPL research scientist Richard Gross computed how Earth's rotation should have changed as a result of the Feb. 27, 2010 quake. If his figures are correct, the quake should have moved Earth's figure axis (the axis about which Earth's mass is balanced) by 2.7 milliarcseconds (about 8 centimeters, or 3 inches).
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Read the rest of Chilean Earthquake May Have Shortened the Length of a Day on Earth (189 words)
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Post tags: Earth, earthquake, Natural Disasters
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