Moon Slowly Moving Away From Earth Due To Tidal Forces

The Moon is slowly drifting away from Earth, about the width of a human fingernail each year.

This is happening because of tides.

The Moon's gravity pulls on Earth's oceans, creating bulges of water.

These bulges slightly pull the Moon forward in its orbit, making it speed up and move farther away.

As the Moon gains momentum, Earth's rotation slows down a tiny bit, making each day a fraction longer.

This has been happening since the Moon formed billions of years ago when days were shorter.

While the Moon will eventually be locked in orbit, this won't happen for billions of years when the sun will expand into a red giant.