The Moon Is Slowly Leaving Us — And What Happens Next Changes Everything

Every year it slips a little farther away, and Earth will never be the same.

Right now, as you read this, the moon is drifting away from Earth at about 3.8 centimeters per year — roughly the speed your fingernails grow.

Scientists measure this with lasers bounced off reflectors left on the lunar surface, and the numbers don't lie: our closest companion is on a slow-motion exit.

As it retreats, Earth's days are gradually getting longer, because the moon's gravity acts like a brake on our planet's spin. Hundreds of millions of years ago, a day lasted well under 23 hours.

Don't panic just yet. The drift is so slow that total solar eclipses will still dazzle humanity for hundreds of millions of years — but one day, the moon will appear too small to fully cover the sun, and that show will end forever.