Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Shpoop
the same way the moon will eventually fall to the earth...but not for a looooong time
|
I'm under the impression that the moon is leaving orbit, to the tune of some number of inches per year.
Ahhh, here we are.
Space.com
Quote:
|
The moon's gravity has also been slowly reducing the Earth's rate of rotation by about 2 milliseconds per century, or about 1 second every 50,000 years or so. As a result of this exchange of energy, the moon is being slowly flung away from the Earth, its orbital distance growing at the rate of about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) per year, or about 24 miles (39 km) per million years.
|