this post was submitted on 21 Apr 2025
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[–] Rocketpoweredgorilla@lemmy.ca 70 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

Our planet actually gets roughly 50,000 tonnes lighter every year. (We gain 40,000t from meteors but also lose about 90,000t of hydrogen.) https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/sept-1-2018-gene-editing-in-dogs-wildfire-prediction-zika-fizzles-and-more-1.4804892/is-earth-getting-heavier-or-lighter-1.4804900

[–] Hawke@lemmy.world 21 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

Math does not check out.

40 - 90 = -50. Not 50,000.

Edit: from the source, the correct statement is “We gain 40 000 t from meteors but also lose about 90 000 t of hydrogen.“

[–] ddash@lemmy.dbzer0.com 46 points 5 days ago (4 children)

What is heavier, one ton of meteors or one ton of hydrogen?

[–] Hawke@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago (1 children)
[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Only if you use imperial units. The article uses tonnes, which is a unit of mass, not weight.

[–] Hawke@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Yes but I would interpret “heavy” to be a function of weight, not mass.

[–] FooBarrington@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago

Steel is heavier than feathers

[–] 0ops@lemm.ee 1 points 5 days ago

Well meteors are heavier than hydrogen

[–] Rocketpoweredgorilla@lemmy.ca 10 points 5 days ago

Whoops my bad, my brain was in a different place while I typed.

[–] DemBoSain@midwest.social 8 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Don't forget to account for all the helium leaking out of balloons. That's part of the reason the earth gets lighter too.

[–] EvacuateSoul@lemmy.world 36 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

And every time they manufacture a Bic, the world gets a little lighter.

[–] DannyBoy@sh.itjust.works 4 points 5 days ago (1 children)

There's two men in a boat, and they have three cigarettes but no matches. How do they manage to smoke?

[–] DemBoSain@midwest.social 10 points 4 days ago

Two men in a boat is already pretty hot for some people.

[–] DemBoSain@midwest.social 3 points 4 days ago

Yeah, and when you burn that fuel it gets hotter, and that makes it a little lighter too.