> We found that the moon was around 60,000 kilometers closer to the Earth then [2.46 billion years ago] (that distance is about 1.5 times the circumference of Earth). This would make the length of a day much shorter than it is now, at roughly 17 hours rather than the current 24 hours.
I wish they explained why the moon being that much closer would have such a dramatic effect on the day length. Can someone explain this? Seems off to me, but I'm very physics-naive.
Also, good to know it's drifting away, and not towards the earth!
I wish they explained why the moon being that much closer would have such a dramatic effect on the day length. Can someone explain this? Seems off to me, but I'm very physics-naive.
Also, good to know it's drifting away, and not towards the earth!