Abstract
The Earth is by no means a reliable clock. Astronomical observations covering roughly 2 1/2 millennia reveal a gradual increase in the length of the day (l.o.d.) of about 2 ms per century (ms/cy). In addition there are irregular fluctuations on time-scales of anything from weeks to centuries with typical amplitudes of the order of 1 ms.
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Stephenson, F.R., Morrison, L.V. (1982). History of the Earth’s Rotation Since 700 B. C.. In: Brosche, P., Sündermann, J. (eds) Tidal Friction and the Earth’s Rotation II. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68836-2_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68836-2_4
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