Moon's Gentle Tug Lengthens Earth's Day, Not a Heist
TL;DR Summary
Earth’s rotation is slowing due to tidal interactions with the Moon, lengthening the day while the Moon slowly drifts outward at about 3.8 cm per year. The transfer conserves angular momentum, so nothing is stolen—past days were shorter, with a lengthy pause around 19 hours for roughly a billion years before the gradual increase resumed. The present rate and historical timeline vary with continental configurations and tidal dynamics.
Topics:science#angular-momentum#earth#lunar-recession#moon#note-only-five-tags-allowed-extra-will-be-ignored#space#tidal-forces
- The Moon is stealing time from the Earth, and it has been getting away with it for billions of years. Our planet spins so much slower than it once did that a single day has stretched from just 19 hours to the 24 we live by, and the Moon is still creeping away from u Space Daily
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- Goodbye to the 24-hour day: from this date onwards, days on Earth will last 25 hours ECOticias.com
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- Something ‘unprecedented’ is now happening to Earth’s rotation, scientists say BBC Science Focus Magazine
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