ChatterBank3 mins ago
Distance of moon to earth
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Given that this is increasing, is it known whether it will increase forever or will it eventually stabilise?
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No best answer has yet been selected by HowardKennitby. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.We need the moon to maintain the environment which has evolved us. The moon is receding at a couple of centimetres per year, which means it will be many thousands of years before that makes much appreciable difference to the world's climate. By then, we'll either have blown ourselves out of existence or will have advanced our technical ability to the extent where we can correct it.
The situation would stabilise. As the moon retreats, the rotation of the earth get slower. Eventually, the moon would settle in a more distant orbit when the earth has slowed so much that it does not rotate relative to the moon.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon
But before then, both will have been destroyed by an expanding sun.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon
But before then, both will have been destroyed by an expanding sun.