Jul 5 1996
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (1MB PDF)
In a study released in the journal Science, Charles P. Sonett detailed the results of his research measuring changes in the motion of Earth. Sonett reported that tidal forces from the gravitational force of the Moon had caused the Earth's rotation to slow gradually over a period of millions of years. About 900 million years ago, according to Sonett, the length of the Earth's day was only about 18 hours. The gravitational pull of the Moon, Sonett explained, "acts like a brake on the Earth.
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