Yes, the Moon is technically drifting off into space, but it’s not in a hurry: the distance between it and us is growing by around 3cm (1.2in) every year.
This phenomenon, known as lunar recession, is caused by the complex gravitational relationship between Earth, our tides and the Moon. The same game of cosmic tug-of-war affects us, too – our planet’s rotation slows down the further the Moon escapes from our grasp. This causes weaker tides and fractionally shorter days.
But it really is a gradual process. We’ll have to wait approximately 200 million years for the drag to give us even an extra hour a day.
This article is an answer to the question (asked by Tony Roberts, email) 'How will the Moon moving away from Earth affect us?'
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