OUR TURN: Shorter day no respite from daylight saving time

Still feeling a little sluggish after the time change earlier this week?

Did the "spring forward" setting of your clock by one hour Sunday rob you of that sleep you need to feel refreshed and tackle the day?

Missing that extra hour and praying for the next daylight saving time shift in the autumn when you can "fall back" by 60 minutes?

Well, there may be some good news for you, but remember, even silver clouds can have a dark lining.

Scientists are now telling us the magnitude 8.8 earthquake that rattled and rolled Chile Feb. 27 has shortened the day.

And a shorter day for some could mean less time at work, less time at school and even less time having to do laundry.

(Just remember, there are probably plenty of Chileans who don’t think this news is positive no matter how you spin it, and their feelings are easy to understand).

According to geophysicists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the earthquake was so powerful and deep that it redistributed the planet’s mass just a smidgen.

The scientists say the geological disturbance shifted the Earth’s axis by about 3 inches.

The axis, as you might remember from science class, is the imaginary line the Earth rotates around once every 24 hours.

Doesn’t sound like much, does it?

In fact, don’t go making any big plans about what fun things you’ll be doing now that the days got shorter.

Scientists estimate the day is only 1.26 millionths of a second shorter than before.

Not much you can do with that, is there?

Oh well, there’s always the weekends to make up for lost time. Or shortened time for that matter.

The Daily Tribune editorial board includes Dan Alvey, Amber Alvey Weems, Thomas Edwards, Chris Porter and Daniel Clifton.