The earth and the moon both gain mass every year which means that gravity goes up on both. That means that the moons orbit is decaying at a faster and faster rate every year. The moon is getting closer every year a little bit more thean the previous year. For example: The mooon could move 1 inch this year then 3 next year, then 9 the year after that since the rate of decay will increase at an eponential rate. So what is the day of death for our earth. I am waiting for an answer from NASA. By the wway the moon is supposedly fallling into the earth at a rate of 1.4millimeters a second. That does not leave a long time for the moon to hit us when you take into consideration the hundreds of tons of space dust and debree that land on the earth and moon every year. That extra mass causes the gravity of the earth and moon to change which causes the moon to become a GREAT threat to life on earth.
2006-09-08 19:27:17 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Where did you get your facts? Theoretically, the increased mass would increase the gravity, but since the moon is already falling, the increased force would just make it fall faster in its orbit...... and it woudn't significantly increase when the moon collides with Earth. One inch a year is too large for me to believe.
2006-09-08 19:29:48 · answer #1 · answered by Kay 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually, the Moon will never crash into the Earth.
Due to the effect of tidal forces and the gravitational effect that it causes, the Moon is actually drifting away from the Earth at a rate of 8 centimeters (1.5 inches) per year. This has been confirmed by tidal fossil deposits and the laser reflectors placed on the Moon during the Apollo missions.
The orbit will likely stabilize in 15 billion years when the Moon's orbit increases to 1.6 times today's orbital distance. This will happen when the rotation of the Earth and the time it takes for the Moon to orbit the Earth are equal; as the Moon's gravity is slowing down the rotation of the Earth by two milliseconds every century.
But, we will never see that happen as in only five billion years the Sun will expend it's hydrogen supply and expand to the point where it will devour Earth and become a red giant star.
2006-09-09 02:44:48 · answer #2 · answered by dreaming1998 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The moon has been moving away from Earth ever since it was first formed. It used to have a much greater effect on our tides as is evidenced in fossil records. It's not going to be noticible within our lifetime since the moon is moving ever so slowly away, but millions of years from now the moon will actually no longer be our moon, since it will break free of Earth's gravity and become, essentially another planet.
2006-09-09 02:38:44 · answer #3 · answered by ●Gardener● 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
"...the moons orbit is decaying at a faster and faster rate every year. The moon is getting closer every year a little bit more thean the previous year..."
You've been misinformed. The moon is RECEDING from Earth at a rate of 3.8 cm/year. This would continue for another 15-billion years if our sun remained stable (..which it won't).
2006-09-09 02:32:51 · answer #4 · answered by Chug-a-Lug 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
wrong wrong wrong! the moon is escaping earth's gravity every year by about 2 inches! it's getting farther away! according to astronomers though eventually the moon will go into an elliptical orbit, say million of years from now, and could intercept earth, but earth's gravity will tear it apart before it can hit earth. so it will never hit us! you must be dreaming!
2006-09-09 04:08:55 · answer #5 · answered by mike j 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The moon won't hit the earth! Also overpopulation increases the mass of the earth.. Space dust increases it by far too little... And even if the mass of the earth increased sufficiently the moon would "fall" in a higher orbit
2006-09-09 02:35:06 · answer #6 · answered by MyStIcTrE3 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Sounds like a paranoid fanatasy to me. The moon is slowly moving away from the earth at about 2 cms a year, or so I read recently.
2006-09-09 02:34:12 · answer #7 · answered by Not_many_people_know_this_but 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
actually i heard that the moon distances itslef from the earth at the rate of a few inches every year
and the mass gain is probably to negligible to counter this
but if it really is getting closer............ well maybe we will figure out how to adjust gravity by then
2006-09-09 02:31:29 · answer #8 · answered by kitty is ANGRY!™ 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't know. I don't waste my time thinking about when the world is going to end. Really I don't want to know. What good will knowing do besides make you worry more. Just live everyday like it's your last bc in all reality NO ONE can tell us exactly when the world is going to end, no matter how much studying they do.
2006-09-09 02:31:26 · answer #9 · answered by mystique_dragon4 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Look up .... something flying and coming closer to u.. i think its Superman... NOO its the MOON going to hit out world... !
2006-09-09 02:38:05 · answer #10 · answered by F 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋