Moon (Mind Blowing) Fact 5
🌕 The Moon Is Slowly Leaving Us – Here’s the Mind-Blowing Truth
Most of us gaze up at the Moon and think it’s a fixed part of our night sky. But what if I told you… it’s drifting away?
🚀 A Moon on the Move
The Moon is slowly moving away from Earth—by about 3.8 centimeters (1.5 inches) every year. That’s roughly the speed your fingernails grow!
Scientists discovered this using laser reflectors placed on the Moon’s surface during NASA’s Apollo missions. By bouncing lasers off these reflectors, they measured the increasing distance over time with extreme precision.
🌍 A Cosmic Dance, Slowing Down
When the Moon first formed—over 4.5 billion years ago—it was much closer to Earth, possibly only 14,000 miles (22,500 kilometers) away. Today, it’s about 238,855 miles (384,400 kilometers) from us.
As the Moon drifts away, Earth’s rotation is gradually slowing, making our days slightly longer over millions of years. And in a few billion years, total solar eclipses will become impossible—because the Moon will look too small to fully block the Sun.
🧠Source Your Wonder
- NASA Solar System Exploration:Â https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/earths-moon/overview
- Scientific American:Â https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/moon-drifting-away-earth/
- NASA Laser Ranging Experiment:Â https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/moon/apollo-lunar-laser-ranging-experiment
Interesting facts.