Jakarta –
The night sky, which seemed calm, actually had big changes. The moon, Earth’s only natural satellite, slowly moves away from the planet every year. This astronomical phenomenon will certainly change the appearance of the sky and end one of the most amazing natural events: a Total Solar Eclipse.
Changes in the distance of the Moon were revealed through scientific experiments that have been ongoing since the Apollo mission era. In the late 1960s, NASA placed special reflectors on the surface of the Moon through the Lunar Laser Ranging Experiment program. Scientists then bounce a laser beam from Earth to the Moon and time the reflection to measure the distance with a very high degree of precision.
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
The measurement results show that the Moon is moving away from Earth at around 3.8 centimeters per year. This number may seem small, but on a scale of millions of years, the impact is very significant. The gravitational interaction between the Earth and the Moon is the main cause of this phenomenon. The tides slow down the Earth’s rotation, while transferring energy that pushes the Moon further away.
These changes also affect the length of the day on Earth. In the long term, the Earth’s rotation will continue to slow down so that the length of one day will increase compared to now.
Currently, humans can still witness a Total Solar Eclipse because the apparent size of the Moon and the Sun is almost the same when viewed from Earth. The Sun has a diameter about 400 times larger than the Moon, but it is also about 400 times farther away. This unique combination creates balance so that the Moon is able to cover the Sun perfectly.
However, as the Moon continues to move away, its apparent size in the sky will become smaller. This condition means that the Moon is no longer able to completely cover the Sun. In the future, the only eclipse that occurs will be an annular eclipse, where the Sun looks like a circle of fire in the sky.
According to a statement by NASA scientist Richard Vondrak, in around 600 million years the last Total Solar Eclipse will occur on Earth. After that, humanity – if it still exists – will no longer be able to see completely dark skies during the day due to the covering of the Sun by the Moon.
For comparison, about 4 billion years ago, the Moon was much closer to Earth. At that time, it appeared to be about three times larger than it is now. Solar eclipses also last much longer and occur more frequently.
Until now, scientists continue to monitor the movement of the Moon using modern laser technology. These observations are crucial for understanding the impact of these shifts on Earth’s rotation, ocean tides, and the long-term dynamics of the Earth-Moon system.
This article was published on detikINET.
(afr/south)
date:2026-02-07 22:00:00