China’s massive Three Gorges Dam is subtly altering Earth’s rotation, according to NASA research. The world’s largest power station, holding 10 trillion gallons of water, lengthens each day by 0.06 microseconds by redistributing Earth’s mass. While the effect is minuscule (adding just three days over the universe’s lifespan), it showcases how megastructures can impact planetary physics. The dam’s colossal scale – displacing millions while powering 5.4 million homes monthly – highlights humanity’s growing capacity to reshape our world.

Similar shifts occurred after the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake shortened days by 2.68 microseconds. Climate change extends days too, adding 1.33 milliseconds per century since 2000. Though workers needn’t fear longer shifts (the dam’s effect equals 0.00000006 seconds daily), the findings reveal how human engineering and natural events can tweak Earth’s rotation. As China plans an even larger dam, these cosmic consequences of terrestrial projects continue unfolding.