By- Srushti sharma
Scientists have made a unique discovery: the Moon is gradually slipping away from Earth. The only naturally occurring satellite that orbits the Earth is the Moon.
The Moon was previously thought to have maintained a constant distance from Earth due to gravitational attraction
But NASA reports say that the Moon is gradually moving 3.8 centimetres away from Earth annually.
If the Moon continued to drift away from Earth at the same rate, then it would have possibly collided with Earth around 1.5 billion years ago, which never happened in past.
Scientists say that "Milankovitch cycles" may be the cause of the Moon's drifting apart from Earth.
Why is the Moon drifting away from Earth?
The cycles explain how the slight deviation in the axis and orbital shapes of the Earth affects how much sunlight reaches the planet.
Earth's climate is influenced by solar radiation levels, which also serve as a predictor of when it will rain or shine.
The weather in an area can completely change due to Milankovitch cycles. They were the cause of the Sahara desert's phase of greening.
The length of time that separates the Moon and Earth is likewise determined by these cycles and their frequency.
According to scientists, the Moon was 60,000 km closer to Earth around 2.46 billion years ago, than its present distance.
This means the blue planet used to receive 17 hours of sunlight per day.