Our planet has been rotating at its fastest since records began in 1973. Earth will complete a full rotation in slightly less time than usual on Tuesday, July 22, making it one of the shortest days ever recorded.

Earth is spinning faster this summer, making the days marginally shorter and attracting the attention of scientists and timekeepers. But these days are not ‘short’ in terms of how many sunlight hours they have — rather because they clock in at slightly less than exactly 24 hours.

July 22, the Earth will complete its daily rotation 1.34 milliseconds faster than the standard 24 hours, making it the second shortest day in history. Scientists note that shorter days are becoming the norm.