Images of the lunar surface were taken by Apollo astronauts and, more recently, by NASA’s Lunar Orbiter. Scientists have found that the epicenters of some shallow moonquakes appear to be associated with these thrust faults.
It was also discovered that the Moon has an inner core with a diameter of approximately 500 km. It is partially molten and much less dense than the Earth’s core.
The rate at which the Moon is decreasing in size is nearly imperceptible to humans and is equivalent to a change in the Moon’s radius of approximately one quintillionth of one percent per year. As a result, the Moon’s apparent size in the sky will not change much over the expected lifetime of the Earth.
Also, the Moon is not shrinking due to mass loss, so the gravitational force between the Earth and the Moon will remain the same.
However, due to tidal forces between the Earth and the Moon, the size of the Moon’s orbit increases by about 3.8 cm per year. As it moves away from us, the Moon’s orbital period increases and the Earth’s rotation slows down. For this reason, the length of the day on our planet lengthens by 2.3 milliseconds every 100 years. However, this effect is almost invisible.
Of course, billions of years in the future, the shrinking of the Moon will affect the condition of the Earth. This will lead to disruption of ocean currents and the extinction of many aquatic creatures. The planet itself will become unstable, disrupting the seasons on it and changing the climate.
Source: Ferra
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
