Laser measurements show that the Moon recedes from Earth by about 3.8 centimetres per year. Tides transfer a tiny amount of Earth’s rotational energy to the Moon’s orbit, making the lunar orbit gradually larger while Earth’s rotation very slowly slows.
What we found
Astronauts left reflective panels on the Moon. Observatories fire laser pulses at them and time the return, allowing the Earth–Moon distance to be measured extremely precisely. The change is tiny from year to year, but clear over decades. It does not mean the Moon will suddenly disappear; the process is extremely slow and changes over geological timescales. The Ridbusters then compare the wording with the original sources, look for the conditions of each observation and check whether another explanation could fit. That turns a surprising headline into a trail a young investigator can follow: claim, test, result and remaining uncertainty. Laser measurements show that the Moon recedes from Earth by about 3.