The Moon has been there in the sky above Earth for centuries, inspiring artists, poets and mystics, and enchanting children. But a research has suggested that our natural satellite is slowly drifting away from the Earth. This finding, which appears to be straight out of a science fiction, is rooted in meticulous scientific observation and analysis. A team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison focused on rock from a formation aged at 90 million years to reveal that the gradual separation of the Moon from Earth has significant implications.
The study highlights that the Moon is receding from Earth at a rate of approximately 3.8 centimetres per year, which will have a very real impact on the length of days on our planet. Eventually, it’ll result in Earth days lasting 25 hours in 200 million years time. The study shows that 1.4 billion years ago, a day on Earth lasted just over 18 hours.
This phenomenon is primarily attributed to the gravitational interactions between the Earth and the Moon, specifically the tidal forces exerted by both bodies.
"As the moon moves away, the Earth is like a spinning figure skater who slows down as they stretch their arms out," said Stephen Meyers, a professor of geoscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
"One of our ambitions was to use astrochronology to tell time in the most distant past, to develop very ancient geological time scales. We want to be able to study rocks that are billions of years old in a way that is comparable to how we study modern geologic processes," he added.
The Moon's recession is not a new discovery; it has been known for decades. However, the University of Wisconsin-Madison's study delves deeper into the historical and geological context of this phenomenon. By examining ancient geological formations and sediment layers, researchers have traced the history of the Earth-Moon system over billions of years. Their findings suggest that Moon's current rate of recession is relatively stable, but it has fluctuated over geological timescales due to various factors, including the Earth's rotational speed and continental drift.