🔬 Science 6d ago · Stefanie Waldek

In 1776, the moon was a clock, a calendar and a streetlight — and it was 31 feet closer to Earth

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In 1776, the moon was a clock, a calendar and a streetlight — and it was 31 feet closer to Earth
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After Americans declared independence on July 4, 1776, a waning gibbous moon rose in the night sky. To the people celebrating the birth of a new nation, it would have looked much the same as the moon we see today. But there was one subtle difference: 250 years ago, the moon was about 31 feet (9.4 meters) closer to Earth than it is now."The moon is currently drifting away from Earth at a rate of about 3.8 centimeters [1.5 inches] per year, which is coincidentally roughly the same speed at which h

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