When you think we know everything about our planet, something new comes to light
While you may not think the Moon drifting away from Earth would impact us too much, you’d be mistaken.
Most of us are probably guilty of thinking that the Earth’s only natural satellite remains at a constant distance from our planet.
And that is all because of gravitational pull. Does that remind anyone of science lessons at high school?
But recent scientific discoveries have found an ever-weakening connection between the Earth and the Moon – but why is that?
Well, what we do know is that this gradual breakdown has resulted in the globe spinning slower, and as a result, having a major impact on time.
In fact, scientists have found that days on Earth are getting longer because the Moon is slowly drifting away.
Scientists believe that a day on the globe 1.4 billion years ago, lasted just 18 hours.
The Moon is drifting away from Earth. (NASA/NOAA)
“As the Moon moves away, the Earth is like a spinning figure skater who slows down as they stretch their arms out,” said co-author of the study Professor Stephen Meyers, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.