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Scientists have said that the Moon is moving away from Earth at a rate of approximately 3.8 centimeters per year, which means in about 200 million years, Earth days will extend to 25 hours.
Scientists say around 1.4 billion years ago, when the Moon was closer to Earth, a day lasted just over 18 hours.
Scientists believe that the Moon is moving away nearly 3.8 centimeters from Earth with each passing year, which causes the Earth’s rotation to slow down, thereby increasing the day length.
As the Moon keeps drifting from the Earth, the celestial body’s gravitational pull decelerates the Earth’s rotation and thus gradually increasing the length of a daytime.
Scientists have predicted that in nearly 200 million years, a day could extend to 25 hours on Earth.
Scientists have also predicted due to the increased daytime on Earth, there is going to be impact on ramifications on the planet’s climate and environment.
Scientists have been using advanced tools and technology to monitor the Moon’s continuous gradual drift from Earth, through which they have been enable to provide insights into these long-term changes.
The Moon helps in stabilising the Earth’s axial tilt, which influences seasonal variations and climate patterns.
Scientists say the tidal drag on the Earth slows its rotation down and the Moon gains that energy as angular momentum. Presently, the Moon is an average of 384,400 km away from Earth, taking some 27.3 days to complete a single orbit around Earth.
No, this isn’t exactly a new revelation, as there were many similar studies published such as the solar system chaos by the Russian scientist Jacques Laskar back in 1989.