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Moon Drifting Away: A Slow Dance with Earth

9/17/2025

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Summary

Story summary

The Moon drifts away from Earth at about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) annually, measured using lasers on Apollo retroreflectors.
It currently sits around 239,000 miles (385,000 km) away, with fluctuations of about 12,400 miles (20,000 km) due to its elliptical orbit.
Tidal forces create ocean bulges that pull the Moon forward, causing Earth's rotation to slow slightly.
This change will not significantly affect tides or eclipses for millions of years.
Earth may eventually become tidally locked with the Moon, but the Sun's evolution will prevent this.

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Story summary

The Moon drifts away from Earth at about 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) annually, measured using lasers on Apollo retroreflectors.
It currently sits around 239,000 miles (385,000 km) away, with fluctuations of about 12,400 miles (20,000 km) due to its elliptical orbit.
Tidal forces create ocean bulges that pull the Moon forward, causing Earth's rotation to slow slightly.
This change will not significantly affect tides or eclipses for millions of years.
Earth may eventually become tidally locked with the Moon, but the Sun's evolution will prevent this.