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Hereiam2018 t1_ja09gsc wrote

Who can blame it

173

shaving99 t1_ja4ttta wrote

Honestly it's been a good summer but I think we should just be friends...-the moon probably

7

AnthillOmbudsman t1_ja0ovul wrote

Imagine being the poor guy who has to go out there every year with the tape measure to figure this out.

157

Youpunyhumans t1_ja2dorx wrote

They use a laser reflector that was placed on the Moon during the Apollo missions. They measure how long it takes the laser to bounce back, and from there they can determine exactly how far away it is.

19

02buddha02 t1_ja2vlvi wrote

My poor man, I'm sorry for your down votes.

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Youpunyhumans t1_ja307b2 wrote

Ah its all good, its just useless internet points anyway. Thanks though.

31

SolarSmelter t1_ja4pzin wrote

To how important and useful you are to the dialogue for people who would like some true information, you deserve to feel good about posting that comment.

6

faxanaduu t1_ja4t8dw wrote

I guess they use the same points on the surface measuring this between length of time? Seems necessary because of changes in elevation. It's so interesting to me that it's moving away from the earth. On the scale of billions of years the distance between them seems like it has changed quite s bit. Thanks for posting this tidbit, learned something new today.

3

OmniPollicis t1_ja07z8p wrote

“Don’t be silly, of COURSE I want to hang out, I’ve just been so busy lately.. maybe next mo- err year..”

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Mystic_L t1_ja0cwqz wrote

Get over yourself, it’s not like the whole world revolves around you!

21

myotherworkacct t1_ja0mfpl wrote

It just feels like we're growing more and more distant. Sorry for wanting to stay close!

9

FrankieMint t1_ja0dq55 wrote

When the moon recedes far enough from earth, total solar eclipses will no longer be possible (a billion or so years from now.)

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Randys_Spooky_Ghost t1_ja1w9so wrote

Yep, it will also become IIRC tidally locked. So, it will become geosynchronous and only one side of the planet will ever see the moon again.

5

Fl1925 t1_ja08muz wrote

It hates us and has been trying for years to getaway!

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ol_knucks t1_ja0pr9p wrote

OP your mixing of commas and decimals in the title is pure anarchy you mad lad

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Blutarg t1_ja14fuw wrote

Isn't that how they do it in metric-land?

2

BroForceOne t1_ja1asgz wrote

Decimal comma vs point is decided on a country-by-country basis. It's not necessarily tied to the metric system.

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ol_knucks t1_ja14p2t wrote

In Canada we use metric and decimal points

2

advertentlyvertical t1_ja1u5sf wrote

Yea but it's decided based on English or French, so usage is still consistent and not mixed up like this.

0

PMzyox t1_ja0oo7s wrote

Just like my dad

10

wwarnout t1_ja0c0ta wrote

Fun fact: When the moon first formed, it was only about 40,000 km from Earth (about the same as geosync satellites), and was enormous in the sky. Also, one day on Earth was only about 6 hours long.

9

Lecoruje t1_ja2o4qd wrote

Wait, so the days are lasting longer? No shit the clock won't move during work..

1

fleranon t1_ja0bvvx wrote

What are the implications of this? Will the moon leave the earths gravitational Field at some point in the next few million (billion?) years and fly out into space as a rogue planet or something?

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ExtonGuy t1_ja0d00n wrote

No, the moon will not leave the Earth. The rate of increase gets less and less over time. Eventually, the distance will stabilize -- except that is so long in the future, the sun will expand and engulf the Earth and the moon together.

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TheBurple t1_ja0koou wrote

Fun fact about gravity: it is the weakest of the 4 fundamental forces but has infinite range!

9

GroinShotz t1_ja0yr18 wrote

One theory states that the moon will eventually slowly creep back towards us eventually becoming a ring (like Saturn's rings)... If the Sun doesn't engulf us by then.

>Eventually, Earth’s rotation will slow until it, too, is locked to the moon’s orbital period. At this point, Earth will still be rotating faster than it orbits the sun and the smaller tidal bulge due to the sun’s gravity will continue to slow Earth’s rotation.

>Earth’s tidal bulge will then begin to lag the moon’s orbital motion, the pull will be acting in reverse and the moon will slowly start to spiral back towards the Earth.

>The moon will move ever closer until it reaches 18,470 km (11,470 miles) above the Earth, a point known as the Roche limit. This is the radius inside which the tidal forces pulling objects apart exceed their mutual attraction due to gravity.

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drygnfyre t1_ja0lkbw wrote

That would be theoretically possible. However, the Sun will reach its red supergiant phase and engulf the inner planets long before the Moon could escape.

Which also provides the literal answer to "when will the world end?" When the Sun feels like it, that's when.

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ExtonGuy t1_ja0cp2w wrote

Sorry, but not true. The moon's distance increases by that amount only on average. Some years a lot less, even getting closer. Some years a lot more. Moreover, not true on long time scales, a few ten's of thousands of years.

5

jippyzippylippy t1_ja1q7ca wrote

12 feet every 100 years.

So, it looked slightly larger 200 years ago.

5

OldMork t1_ja1v5ym wrote

1.016931E10 years ago you could touch it.

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jippyzippylippy t1_ja2roay wrote

Yeah, but the earth and the moon were probably still molten rock, so that wouldn't have been such a good time.

1

McKenzienot t1_ja0jw0n wrote

Can you blame it?

2

JennySinger t1_ja0ubiy wrote

The space trash we’ve surrounded our planet in is pushing it away.

2

McKenzienot t1_ja0vowy wrote

If the moon had an id, I think it would be embarrassed to be associated with us.

1

GeneDangle t1_ja0zmgt wrote

Same way I distance myself from my Republican family members

2

Butllet t1_ja0by5b wrote

Is there a point where our gravity does not affect it anymore? I wonder how long till it hits that point...

1

AirborneRodent t1_ja0if6q wrote

No. The reason it's happening is that Earth's rotation is faster than the Moon's orbit - a day is shorter than a month.

Because of this, the Moon is leeching kinetic energy from Earth's rotation to orbit faster (drifting further away is simply a consequence of orbiting faster). This speeds up the Moon's orbit at the cost of slowing the Earth's rotation. Over time this energy-leeching will stabilize once the Moon has sped up so much, and the Earth has slowed down so much, that the Moon's orbit and the Earth's rotation will take the exact same amount of time - a day will be equal to a month - and the Moon will appear motionless in the sky. This is called tidal locking.

But as other comments have stated, this process will take so long that the Sun will kill us all long before it finishes.

7

IAmNotAnAlcoholic t1_ja1ofz2 wrote

We are already tidal locked with the moon….

1

AirborneRodent t1_ja1zxqb wrote

The Moon is already tidally locked to Earth. Earth is not (yet) tidally locked to the Moon.

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airbus29 t1_ja0c8r1 wrote

no because before that happens the sun will die and engulf the inner planets

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D3vilUkn0w t1_ja0dkz9 wrote

So it's a little over six feet further away than when the first Apollo missions flew

1

gamerdude69 t1_ja0n1nj wrote

Sigh, this unfortunately means that the longer we wait to return to the moon, the harder it will be.

1

Limp_Distribution t1_ja0qdgb wrote

It used to be much closer. What an awesome sight that must have been seeing it so close.

1

Hobotango t1_ja4aqud wrote

I dont think it would have made a big difference to the human eye. 50,000 years ago it was 1,270 meters closer. It probably looked the same to us 50,000 years ago as it does today.

1

Limp_Distribution t1_ja4ezbf wrote

I was thinking of a billion years ago or more. It would have been amazing.

1

GroinShotz t1_ja0y9or wrote

Eventually, it will reach a point where it slowly starts coming back... If the Sun lasts that long.

1

cobobbyjoe t1_ja0zxr3 wrote

The moon just needs a little space.

1

darrellbear t1_ja1c41k wrote

Conservation of angular momentum--the moon's tidal effects on Earth are transferring the Earth's angular momentum to the moon. The moon speeds up as a result, which causes its orbital distance from Earth to increase over time. The Earth's loss of angular momentum causes it to spin on its axis more slowly, increasing the length of day over time. Total energy of the system is conserved.

1

Adventurous_Light_85 t1_ja2kuqp wrote

It’s either because the earth is losing mass or the moon is gaining mass

1

neo101b t1_ja2lk30 wrote

The moon will one day leave the earth, though I think before that happens the sun will get us first.

1

Seahawk124 t1_ja2rx6t wrote

It knows we got some nasty shit down here and doesn't want it either!

1

Mediocre_Truth_6115 t1_ja36rdj wrote

42524 years for it to move a mile.

I'm only slightly faster.

1

Proof_Principle8696 t1_ja3eh52 wrote

Just enough space to turn over in bed without losing the blanket or warmth.

1

cemilanceata t1_ja3jbcg wrote

Why? I thought mass made mass attract.

1

spook488 t1_ja3vq17 wrote

It's like it knows something is about to happen and it wants to get as far away as possible.

1

sevencoves t1_ja43sp5 wrote

It like the slowest backing out of a room ever

1

SucreBrun t1_ja45g7d wrote

Since I'm in my 50s and 6ft (1.83m), if I lie down today, the moon will be the same distance as when I was 16 and standing up. Cool!

1

clayb57 t1_ja4o438 wrote

I would to

1

Jibber_Fight t1_ja4vd0j wrote

Which is pretty much a nothing-fact. It’s taken 65 million years to move a couple thousand miles away. And it’s already like 240000 miles away. It would barely be perceptively bigger in the sky back then. But still interesting! Don’t leave us moon! We love you!!

1

LuxInteriot t1_ja7zmqw wrote

So it takes a mere billion years for it to move 38,000 km, 10% of the current distance.

1

ChickenMom90 t1_jab144a wrote

I knew about this. I think I was watching a sci fi show where people were sent back to live in prehistoric times, and the moon was quite a bit bigger. The problem becomes what happens when the moon escapes earth's gravitational field. I believe I read somewhere that the pull of the moon on the earth's core is important. Someone clear this up if I'm wrong.

1

cannabisized t1_ja0d1gy wrote

I love you but I'm not IN love with you....

0

todd10k t1_ja0wwx7 wrote

This is true, the moon is on an escape trajectory away from the me. One day, my friend will leave for good and head out into deep space, or make friends with one of the other, cooler planets (literally).

Until that day, luna, we shall waltz through the cosmos like lovers in springtime.

-Earth

0

monkeypox_69 t1_ja267rt wrote

Eventually we will lose the moon.. not in our lifetime.

0

ghgghhguik t1_ja2wuvp wrote

Not true at all

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