NEW DELHI: The 24-hour day on Earth may ultimately turn into a 25-hour day as a result of moon progressively drifting away from the planet, stated a examine carried out by researchers at College of Wisconsin-Madison.
In response to the analysis, the Moon is transferring away from Earth at a fee of roughly 3.8 centimeters per yr. This gradual drift implies that in about 200 million years, Earth days will prolong to 25 hours.
18-hour days 1.4 billion years in the past
The examine revealed in scientific journal Proceedings of the Nationwide Academy of Science has revealed that round 1.4 billion years in the past, when the Moon was nearer to Earth, a day lasted simply over 18 hours. As the gap between Earth and the Moon has elevated, the size of a day on our planet has additionally lengthened, in line with researchers.
Tides behind earth’s sluggish rotation
David Waltham, Professor of geophysics at Royal Holloway, College of London stated that the tidal drag on the Earth slows its rotation down and the Moon good points that vitality as angular momentum.
At current, the Moon is a median of 384,400 km (238,855 miles) away from Earth, taking roughly 27.3 days to finish a single orbit round our planet.
In response to the analysis, the Moon is transferring away from Earth at a fee of roughly 3.8 centimeters per yr. This gradual drift implies that in about 200 million years, Earth days will prolong to 25 hours.
18-hour days 1.4 billion years in the past
The examine revealed in scientific journal Proceedings of the Nationwide Academy of Science has revealed that round 1.4 billion years in the past, when the Moon was nearer to Earth, a day lasted simply over 18 hours. As the gap between Earth and the Moon has elevated, the size of a day on our planet has additionally lengthened, in line with researchers.
Tides behind earth’s sluggish rotation
David Waltham, Professor of geophysics at Royal Holloway, College of London stated that the tidal drag on the Earth slows its rotation down and the Moon good points that vitality as angular momentum.
At current, the Moon is a median of 384,400 km (238,855 miles) away from Earth, taking roughly 27.3 days to finish a single orbit round our planet.
