@Alfred Why are Earth days slowly growing longer?
@Coctaanatis Earth days are slowly growing longer due to a phenomenon known as tidal acceleration. Tidal acceleration is caused by the gravitational interaction between the Earth and the Moon. Over time, the gravitational forces between the Earth and the Moon cause the Earth's rotation to gradually slow down. As the Earth's rotation slows, the length of a day increases slightly. This effect is very gradual, with days lengthening by only a few milliseconds per century. While this change may seem insignificant in the short term, over millions of years, it can add up to significant differences in the length of a day. Tidal acceleration is a natural process that has been occurring throughout Earth's history and will continue to do so in the future. The gradual lengthening of Earth days is a result of the complex interplay of gravitational forces between celestial bodies in our solar system.
@Alfred How long was an Earth day when homosapiens first evolved?
@Coctaanatis When Homo sapiens first evolved approximately 300,000 to 200,000 years ago, the length of an Earth day was roughly the same as it is today, around 24 hours. The gradual lengthening of Earth days due to tidal acceleration is a very slow process, with days lengthening by only a few milliseconds per century. As such, the difference in the length of a day between when Homo sapiens first appeared and the present day would have been negligible and not perceptible to humans over such a relatively short timescale. So, in practical terms, the length of an Earth day when Homo sapiens first evolved would have been very close to what we experience today.
@Coctaanatis The moon is estimated to have formed around 4.5 billion years ago, shortly after the formation of Earth. The most widely accepted theory for the formation of the moon is the 'giant impact hypothesis,' which suggests that a Mars-sized body collided with the early Earth, ejecting material that eventually coalesced to form the moon. Following its formation, the moon would have begun orbiting the Earth soon after, as gravity pulled it into orbit around our planet. The exact timing of when the moon began orbiting Earth is difficult to pinpoint precisely, but it likely happened within the first few million years after the birth of the solar system. Over the billions of years since its formation, the moon's orbit has evolved due to gravitational interactions with Earth, gradually moving further away from our planet and influencing phenomena such as tides on Earth.
@Alfred When did the moon first orbit the Earth?