## As we await the Beaver Moon, NASA reminds us ‘we’re pushing’ the moon away – Hindustan Times
As we gear up to witness the celestial spectacle of the Beaver Moon this month, NASA takes us on a journey beyond our usual moon-gazing, highlighting a peculiar cosmic phenomenon: we, as Earthlings, are slowly but surely pushing the moon away.
While it sounds like something out of a sci-fi film, it’s a real phenomenon caused by a gentle tug-of-war between the Earth and its natural satellite.
This subtle dance has an interesting backstory. As the Earth rotates, it causes the moon’s orbit to be slightly distorted, a consequence of Earth’s not-quite-perfectly round shape. This subtle stretching of the lunar orbit translates to a tiny, yet persistent, increase in the moon’s distance from us.
“Every year, the Moon moves about 1.5 inches (3.8 centimeters) farther away from Earth,” NASA explained on their website, elaborating on the seemingly insignificant, but significant, phenomenon. “Over millions of years, this small change will have a significant impact, changing the way Earth and the Moon interact.”
The scientific reason behind this peculiar dance between our planet and its celestial companion boils down to a force called tidal friction.
Imagine the moon’s gravitational pull subtly pulling on the Earth’s oceans, resulting in the familiar ebb and flow of tides. But here’s the fascinating bit: this tidal tug is not perfectly aligned with the Earth’s rotation. It essentially acts as a “brake,” slowing down the Earth’s rotation. This energy lost from Earth’s spinning is then transferred to the moon, slightly boosting its orbital velocity and causing it to spiral outwards.
Don’t let the seemingly insignificant 1.5 inches per year mislead you, the effect of this lunar push over long periods, like billions of years, is anything but small.
“It is predicted that in the very distant future, when the Moon has drifted so far away from Earth, we may no longer see solar eclipses. For, in that case, the Moon’s apparent diameter will no longer completely cover the Sun.” NASA elaborated in a press release.
While this distant scenario seems far away, NASA’s timely reminder of our ‘pushing away’ the moon throws light on a key element of understanding our solar system’s dynamic processes. This ongoing, imperceptible change in the Moon’s orbit emphasizes how the cosmic dance between planets and satellites constantly shapes our world, over eons.
