But if you can last only 1.4 million years you'll have your 28 hour day.Oh well I won't be here to see the end. I wonder what our national debt will be by the end ?
Yes, it's the moon. More correctly, we're losing angular momentum as the moon moves further away. What, you thought it was moving for free? Ain't no free rides in this universe.I do not see how the day will be 28 hours long in 1.4 million years. What would be slowing down our rotation? Certainly not the moon, as it will be approximately 42 kilometers farther away from the earth at that time.
No, but I had to borrow a bit of brain matter from a colleague...I like the thought of getting rid of Mondays ...
Damo ..did that last post create a bulge on the side of your head?
You're only missing the effect that has on the Earth's rotation. 42 klicks doesn't sound like a lot but it takes an enormous amount of energy to move a mass the size of the moon that far. That energy has to come from somewhere. As Damo explains, it comes from the angular momentum of the Earth: the Earth's rotation slows . . . and the day therefore gets longer.The distance between the earth and the moon is increasing by 3 centimeters per year.
3 x 1,400,000 = 4,200,000
/ 100 = 42,000 Meters
/ 1000 = 42 Kilometers.
Or am I missing something?
You're only missing the effect that has on the Earth's rotation. 42 klicks doesn't sound like a lot but it takes an enormous amount of energy to move a mass the size of the moon that far. That energy has to come from somewhere. As Damo explains, it comes from the angular momentum of the Earth: the Earth's rotation slows . . . and the day therefore gets longer.