We Are Slowly Losing the Moon
November 10, 2009
Every year, the Moon drifts 3.8 centimeters farther away from Earth. So, according to Newton's First Law of Motion, the Moon will continue to drift away year after year until something stops it.
Through quite a few different forces, scientists expect the Moon to stop moving any farther away after about 15 billion years. However, the Sun will swell to red giant status in about 7 billion years, which will cremate the Earth and the Moon (along with Mercury and Venus), but that's the subject of a completely different "Did You Know?".

astrophysics, Did You Know, Earth, Moon, science
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