Moon Moving Away: Effects & Possibilities

  • Thread starter Thread starter mee
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Moon
AI Thread Summary
The moon is indeed moving away from Earth at a rate of about 3.8 centimeters per year, primarily due to tidal interactions between the Earth and the moon. This gradual separation is not caused by the sun's gravity but rather by the Earth’s rotation and the moon's gravitational pull. While the moon will continue to drift away, it is not expected to leave Earth's orbit and start orbiting the sun independently. A collision between the moon and Earth is highly unlikely, as the moon's trajectory will remain stable within its orbit. The long-term effects of this movement include changes in Earth's tides and potentially altering the length of a day over millions of years.
mee
Messages
213
Reaction score
1
I hear that the moon is steadily moving away from the earth. Is it due to the suns gravity? Will it eventually go out of Earth orbit and circle the sun on its own? Would there be any chance of a posssible collision with Earth if this happened or would it leave Earth orbit at its closest approach to the sun if so?
 
Astronomy news on Phys.org

Thread 'Does it make sense to build new radio telescopes?'

TL;DR Summary: In 3 years, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope (or rather, a system of telescopes) should be put into operation. In case of failure to detect alien signals, it will further expand the radius of the so-called silence (or rather, radio silence) of the Universe. Is there any sense in this or is blissful ignorance better? In 3 years, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) telescope (or rather, a system of telescopes) should be put into operation. In case of failure to detect...
View full post »
Thread 'Could gamma-ray bursts have an intragalactic origin?'

Thread 'Could gamma-ray bursts have an intragalactic origin?'

This is indirectly evidenced by a map of the distribution of gamma-ray bursts in the night sky, made in the form of an elongated globe. And also the weakening of gamma radiation by the disk and the center of the Milky Way, which leads to anisotropy in the possibilities of observing gamma-ray bursts. My line of reasoning is as follows: 1. Gamma radiation should be absorbed to some extent by dust and other components of the interstellar medium. As a result, with an extragalactic origin, fewer...
View full post »

Thread 'Our Beautiful Universe - Photos and Videos'

This thread is dedicated to the beauty and awesomeness of our Universe. If you feel like it, please share video clips and photos (or nice animations) of space and objects in space in this thread. Your posts, clips and photos may by all means include scientific information; that does not make it less beautiful to me (n.b. the posts must of course comply with the PF guidelines, i.e. regarding science, only mainstream science is allowed, fringe/pseudoscience is not allowed). n.b. I start this...
View full post »

Similar threads

B Can a Planet Have a Moon that Never Casts a Shadow?
Replies
19
Views
3K
I The solar system and the Coriolis effect
Replies
4
Views
3K
I How Does the Sun's Position Affect the Earth-Moon Barycenter?
Replies
4
Views
5K
B Sun-Earth Encounter: Acceleration, Roche Limit, Rotation & More
Replies
15
Views
2K
B Earth & Moon Gravity Gradient: Investigating Its Impact
Replies
33
Views
5K
I Could life on Earth survive the far future?
Replies
16
Views
3K
B 3I/ATLAS, Interstellar Comet
Replies
6
Views
200
Question about Orbits of Moon/Earth around Sun
Replies
3
Views
2K
B For Lack of a Better Term....Moon Motion
Replies
18
Views
3K
I How Big of an Object Orbiting Closer to the Sun Than Earth Could Be Overlooked?
Replies
17
Views
3K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top