新發現挑戰行星自轉理論
New Discoveries Challenge Theories on Planet Rotation
Updated at: June 14, 2026 at 12:00 PM
近期的科學發現從根本上改變了我們對行星自轉的理解。
Recent scientific discoveries are fundamentally changing how we understand planetary rotation.
長久以來，天文學家一直認為行星的自轉主要取決於其質量。
For a long time, astronomers believed a planet’s spin was determined primarily by its mass.
然而，來自凱克天文台的新觀測揭示了一種「質量-自轉悖論」，即一些較小的氣態巨行星比較大的褐矮星轉得更快。
However, new observations from the W.
研究人員現在相信，早期的環境因素，特別是磁場，充當了行星形成的「化石紀錄」，對其自轉的塑造作用遠比之前假定的要大。
M.
與此同時，在地球上，人類活動正在改變我們自己的自轉。
Keck Observatory reveal a 'mass-spin paradox,' where some smaller gas giants rotate faster than larger brown dwarfs.
氣候變遷導致極地冰層融化，這將質量重新分配至赤道附近。
Researchers now believe that early environmental factors, particularly magnetic fields, act as a 'fossil record' of a planet's formation, shaping its spin far more than previously assumed.
就像花式溜冰選手伸展手臂以減慢旋轉一樣，質量的轉移導致地球自轉減速。
Meanwhile, here on Earth, human activity is altering our own rotation.
儘管這種變化僅發生在毫秒之間極小的分數，但其影響已足以衝擊全球時間保持和衛星導航。
Climate change is causing polar ice to melt, which redistributes mass toward the equator.
總之，這些發現表明，行星自轉並非一個單純、固定的過程。
Much like a figure skater extending their arms to slow down a spin, this shift in mass is causing Earth’s rotation to decelerate.
無論是受宇宙磁場還是冰蓋融化的推動，自轉都是一種受複雜外力影響的動態、敏感平衡。
While the changes occur in tiny fractions of a millisecond, they are significant enough to impact global timekeeping and satellite navigation.
