the moon is moving.?

Question

i read somewhere that the moon gets a couple of inches further away from the earth every year, how many years will it take before we cant see it with the naked eye?

Answer 1

The moon's orbit is receding at a rate of approximately 38 mm per year.
This is not very fast, only about 1.5 inches per year.

It will take a VERY long time for the moon's orbit to recede enough to make a significant visible change to us on Earth.
Remember, the moon is already about 406,731 km (at its farthest distance), what is another inch and a half per year....its practically negligible in the scale of every day measurements.

Answer 2

Yes the moon is moving away from us very slowly. AS the moon orbits the Earth it effects the tides. This in turn has a direct effect on the coastlines around the globe. It affects the life cycle of many creatures around the shores who have adapted to its influence. This has helped evolution for millions of years as thousands of animals have depended on its monthly cycle. Without the moon we would have no tides, no coastal erosion, no beacon to focus on during winter and summer solstice. And during the rise of civilisations, nothing to guide the temple builders.
The moon also excerpts a gravitational force on the rotation of the planet. The further away the less force. This would in turn affect the speed the Earth spins. Less force would mean a faster spin. It would have dire consequences for all life. The seasons would came and go much more rapidly. Instead of four seasons it would be more like eight. And instead of gradual changes they would be over in weeks.
If the moon was moving away an inch a year It would take millions of years to recede a mile. The moon only reflects sunlight, it does not have any of its own, unlike stars. So if it reached the asteroid belt it would be difficult to see with the naked eye. However, if it reached the planet Saturn it would be invisible against the background of Stella space.

Answer 3

Do the math. The Moon is 240,000 miles away right now. A mile is 5,280 feet and a foot is 12 inches, so 240,000 miles is 240,000*5,280*12 = 15,206,400,000 inches. At 2 inches a year it would take half that number of years, or about 7 1/2 billion years, to get twice as far away. At twice as far it would appear half the size it does now, but it would still be easily visible with the naked eye.

In astronomy, you can not rely on gut feeling. The numbers are far too large (astronomical in fact) and people are not able to just have a correct feeling about how far or how long is "about right". You have to do that math. And this was a REALLY EASY math problem. In fact, it would be a good math problem for 5th graders, don't you think?

Answer 4

It won't. The moon gets further away because tidal friction, transfers earth's rotational angular momentum with respect to the moon to the moon's orbit. Once the earth stops rotating with respect to the moon, the moon will no longer receed. In fact friction will then cause the moons orbit to gradually decay until it reaches what it called Roche's limit at which point the earths gravity will rip the moon apart, and the earth will have a ring like saturn.

Answer 5

lots. the moon is big, and in the distances of space, a few inches isn't much. But i heard on the radio that it is effecting the tides, which somehow slows down the earth, resulting in us gaining something like half a second a day every year.
Back to the question, though, it would take so long, we would never see it. (or not see it, as it were).

Answer 6

Yes, the moon is receding from Earth at a rate of 3.8 centimeters (..not millimeters) per year. As a result, Earth's day is increasing by 0.0018 seconds per century. In about 15-billion years the moon's orbit around Earth will stabilize, and our day will be 55 days in length.

Answer 7

you possibly have been sober, by way of fact the Earth does circulate and that's perhaps why you seen the moon shifting. Why so which you think of whilst it extremely is nighttime here, that it extremely is day in different areas of the international ? it extremely is by way of fact the Earth strikes around the solar and moon.

Answer 8

It moves away at 3.8 cm/year. At that rate, it will take 1 quadrillion years for it to look like the size of Mars. However, by then, it'll probably break Earth's orbit and orbit around the sun, until it ultimately collides with us and destroys all life.

Answer 9

well i think that will be a long time as you can see mars with the naked eye at sometimes of the year so probabaly further than mars

Answer 10

The moon is not moving away from the earth.And will not unless attracted by another body. Take a look at Newtons laws.