The Moon is drifting away from Earth at an average speed of about 3.8 centimeters per year, which is roughly 1.5 inches per year.

Quick Scoop: Key Facts

  • The current speed of recession is about 3.8 cm per year, comparable to how fast your fingernails grow.
  • This drift is caused by tidal interactions between Earth and the Moon: Earth’s rotation raises tidal bulges that transfer energy to the Moon and push it into a slightly higher orbit.
  • As the Moon moves away, Earth’s rotation very gradually slows down, making our days longer by a few thousandths of a second per century.

How Scientists Measure It

  • Astronauts from the Apollo missions left special laser reflectors on the Moon. Scientists fire lasers from Earth, time the round-trip, and calculate the distance with centimeter precision.
  • Repeating these measurements over decades reveals the steady outward drift of about 3.8 cm each year.

Why People Are Talking About It Now

  • Recent popular articles and videos in 2025–2026 have highlighted this “slow escape,” often comparing it to nail growth and discussing how, in the far future, days on Earth could stretch to about 25 hours.
  • Forum discussions and explain-like-I’m-five threads use this drift to explain tides, orbital mechanics, and why eclipses will eventually stop being “perfect” total eclipses as the Moon appears smaller in the sky.

In everyday life, the Moon’s drift is far too small to notice yourself; it only becomes meaningful when tracked with precise instruments over many years.

TL;DR: The Moon is slowly but steadily drifting away from Earth at around 3.8 cm per year due to tidal forces transferring rotational energy from Earth to the Moon.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.