Lunar Recession

[granpa]

There is geological and paleontological evidence that Earth rotated faster and that the Moon was closer to Earth in the remote past. Tidal rhythmites are alternating layers of sand and silt laid down offshore from estuaries having great tidal flows. Daily, monthly and seasonal cycles can be found in the deposits. This geological record indicates that 620 million years ago there were 400±7 solar days/year.

 

The current rate of lunar recession which has been measured very accurately by mirror's placed on the moon indicates that there should have been 426 days in a year 620 million years ago. The usual explanation is that the moon was receding more slowly in the past. This makes no sense. If anything the moon should have been receding faster in the past.

 

However, the current rate of lunar recession is consistant with the observation that there were 400 days in a year 620 million years ago if the Earth was closer to the Sun (because the year would be shorter). Its orbital radius would have to have been 0.9589 au at that time.

 

Recession rate of Earth = 6.85 * 10^-11 au/yr (10.25 m/yr)

 

Assuming that rate did not change, that puts the Earth at 1-(1- 0.9589) *7.5 = 0.69 at 4.5 billion years ago

 

If the rate of recession is inversely proportional to the cube of the orbital radius then that puts the Earth just inside the sun 4.5 billion years ago.

 

Year lengthens by 3.24 seconds per 1000 years

[Moontanman]

The recession of the moon is not a constant, the arrangement of the continents has an effect both speeding up and slowing down the movement of both bodies over time...