Why is the moon in the wrong place?

According to scientific measurement the moon is moving away from earth at the rate of 1.5 inches per year. If that is true and that the moon is 4.5 billion years old then the moon should be about 3 million miles from earth. At present it is about 238 thousand miles from earth. Is that what they call 'the margin of error'?

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redredred · M

No, the moon rocks are a dead match for the earths crust elementally but show a re-formation in low gravity, much as we would expect if they were formed from collision caused ejecta. And yes the universe is pretty much a random shooting gallery. A near approach by a celestial body would seriously affect the rate of the moons recession. There is good solid evidence that the arrangement of the planets in our solar system has changed and might still be changing. @hippyjoe1955

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hippyjoe1955 · 61-69, M

You have orbital and lineal velocity mixed. Yes the orbit time of the satellite becomes much quicker but the linear velocity remains the same. Obviously the smaller the orbit the less time it takes for the satellite to complete the orbit, but the linear velocity remains the same. An object going 100 miles and hour will take 1 hour to go 100 miles but it will take two hours to go 200 miles. Speed is the same distance has changed.

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hippyjoe1955 · 61-69, M

@MalteseFalconPunch Tides thousands of feet high rocketing around the earth.

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redredred · M

Its very unlikely the moon is as old as the earth. Current theories suggest that the earth suffered one or more collisions and the matter ejected by this coalesced to form the moon.

Since the moon formed after the earth, using the 4.5 billion year figure is likely wrong. Also, you assume a constant rate of separation at 1.5" per year, I havent seen anything to support this assumption.

There may be other flaws in your reasoning I haven't considered.

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redredred · M

The earth is 4.5 billion years old. The moons regolith is comprised of the same material as the earths crust so formation from collision caused ejecta is a pretty compelling explanation. Such collisions also explain why heavy materials like gold, lead and silver can be found near the surface when logic suggests they should be much deeper. A collision of that magnitude would stir things up considerably.

The age of the moon is less apparent and, again, there is nothing to suggest a steady rate of recession. @hippyjoe1955

hippyjoe1955 · 61-69, M

@redredred So celestial bodies just do random moves for no reason? The moon is
a pretty big object just to jump from one place to anther then stop. BTW your collision theory doesn't work either. The lunar rocks brought back by the Apollo missions show the moon is markedly different material.

LeopoldBloom · M

@hippyjoe1955 That's not what he said. You're being deliberately obtuse.

Yeah, it definitely makes more sense that an invisible sky daddy put the moon where it is 6000 years ago because he felt like it.

Axeroberts · 56-60, M

No but the sun's gravitation will balance it out so it is not a constant number. It also has to do with the oceans as that is what is pushing the moon away and we have not always had oceans on our planet

Muthafukajones · 46-50, M

The further it moves away the less the force of gravity attracts.

So the rate at which it moves away from the earth with gradually increase.

smileylovesgaming · 31-35, F

I heard the moon is younger then the earth. Hit by another planet some time after the earth formed. The left overs from that made the moon. But 1.5 inches isn't that much at all. It would take many millions of year's