With the release of the movie Oblivion, many wondered: what would happen if Earth's Moon was destroyed? “I don’t know,” many answered themselves.
- “What will happen when the Moon is destroyed?” Let's not guess whether the chicken crossed the road or not, but just try to answer this question.The first thing that comes to the mind of scientists is how will the Moon be destroyed? If, for example, the Death Star is nevertheless built and it randomly breaks the Moon into pieces, they will fly in the same orbit, and therefore have the same gravitational influence on the Earth. There will be few changes. This is not a black hole for you solar system.
Yes, we wouldn't watch anymore lunar phases at night, but saw a glittering cloud of debris that would probably have been much brighter full moon, since the surface area reflecting light would be larger. There are even some astronomers who hate this new clutter in the night sky in advance.
But if the Moon were completely stolen (or sold, as Heinlein was), gravity would change significantly. The tide schedule could be thrown away.
Ocean tides will occur, but the water will follow the sun, so day after day you may see big waves everywhere. Some fishermen would appreciate this.
Since tidal forces also affect the Earth's core, there is sure to be some turmoil within. Earthquakes. Several severe volcanic eruptions. Something like that. But California, Japan and Crimea will not go under water.
However, the problem will get worse in the long run. Now the Earth's rotation axis slowly wobbles every 26,000 years, like a top, as it feels the gravitational rope of the Sun. Due to wobble, the North Star does not always point exactly north. Experts agree that the Moon is a kind of shock absorber for this vibration, preventing it from becoming completely loose.
It is quite possible that, left without the Moon, the Earth will wobble wildly, like Mars, for example. The Red Planet's wobble is so extreme that it may be causing its climate to change. If the same thing happens on Earth, the blue planet could become a real monster and slightly lose its position for rainbow habitat.
Without the Moon, the tilt of the Earth's axis could change - from the current 22-25 degrees to an angle of zero to 85 degrees. Zero will eliminate the seasons, and an 85-degree flip will put the Earth on its side. If this were to happen, the current crisis we call global warming, would be a pleasant tea party compared to the potential.
Fortunately, the loosening of the earth's axis will affect us only after many millions of years.
And if we don’t die of boredom during this time, we will have to silently watch as the disappearance of the Moon destroys our culture and art, animals, music, poetry, photography and so on.
A natural question arises. We will survive if the alien invaders destroy the Moon first. But why do they need this?
If we compressed the lifetime of our planet to 24 hours, then the Moon would appear 10 minutes after the start of the countdown. A satellite is not just a piece of rock. Without it, life on Earth would have looked completely different, and perhaps would never have formed at all.
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Random climate
Possibility of life
Dark nights
No eclipses
Super fast year
Harsh climate
Calm waterPast
Space accident
It is believed that the Earth formed 4.56 billion years ago and acquired a satellite 30 million years later, after an object the size of Mars crashed into the planet. He knocked out a gigantic piece from the then still semi-liquid planet, which could not overcome the force of gravity and remained in Earth's orbit. Initially, the Moon was at a distance of 20,000–30,000 km from the planet - 20 times closer than it is now.
Neighborly
The moon not only decorates the night sky and excites lovers. Despite the considerable distance (it takes cosmonauts three days to reach the satellite), the Moon influences the Earth more than any other celestial body. Drawing of mountains and plains, animal world oceans and even the length of the day - without the Moon, everything on our planet would be different.
Illustrations: Andrey Dorokhin, Alamy/Legion-Media
With the release of the movie Oblivion, many wondered: what would happen if Earth's Moon was destroyed? “I don’t know,” many answered themselves. - “What will happen when the Moon is destroyed?” Let's not guess whether the chicken crossed the road or not, but just try to answer this question.
The first thing that comes to the mind of scientists is how will the Moon be destroyed? If, for example, the Death Star is nevertheless built and it randomly breaks the Moon into pieces, they will fly in the same orbit, and therefore have the same gravitational influence on the Earth. There will be few changes. This is not a black hole in the solar system.
Yes, we would no longer see lunar phases at night, but we would see a glittering cloud of debris that would likely be much brighter than the full Moon since there would be more surface area reflecting light. There are even some astronomers who hate this new clutter in the night sky in advance.
But if the Moon were completely stolen (or sold, as Heinlein was), gravity would change significantly. The tide schedule could be thrown away.
Ocean tides will occur, but the water will follow the sun, so you'll probably see big waves all over the place day after day. Some fishermen would appreciate this.
Since tidal forces also affect the Earth's core, there is sure to be some turmoil within. Earthquakes. Several severe volcanic eruptions. Something like that. But California, Japan and Crimea will not go under water.
However, the problem will get worse in the long run. Now the Earth's rotation axis slowly wobbles every 26,000 years, like a top, as it feels the gravitational rope of the Sun. Due to wobble, the North Star does not always point exactly north. Experts agree that the Moon is a kind of shock absorber for this vibration, preventing it from becoming completely loose.
It is quite possible that, left without the Moon, the Earth will wobble wildly, like Mars, for example. The Red Planet's wobble is so extreme that it may be causing its climate to change. If the same thing happens on Earth, the blue planet could become a real monster and slightly lose its position for rainbow habitat.
Without the Moon, the tilt of the Earth's axis could change - from the current 22-25 degrees to an angle of zero to 85 degrees. Zero will eliminate the seasons, and an 85-degree flip will put the Earth on its side. If this happened, the current crisis we call global warming would be a pleasant tea party compared to the potential one.
Fortunately, the loosening of the earth's axis will affect us only after many millions of years.
And if we don’t die of boredom during this time, we will have to silently watch as the disappearance of the Moon destroys our culture and art, animals, music, poetry, photography and so on.
The natural satellite of our planet and the second brightest object in our sky, the Moon is unique among all the moons in the solar system. Due to its size and proximity to the Earth, it ensures its stability.
But few people know that the Moon is moving away from us. And the farther, the faster. And soon there may come a time when it will no longer be able to stabilize the movement of our planet. Without the Moon on Earth it will begin ecological catastrophy: water will evaporate and glaciers will melt due to high temperatures. The sea level will rise by several hundred meters, and people will begin to get used to living in conditions of terrible hurricanes and fierce storms.
Without the Moon protecting us, life on the planet would simply disappear.
If the Moon moves away by only ten percent from its current distance to the Earth, which is forty thousand kilometers, then there will be no way back. The rotation of our planet will become unpredictably chaotic, which, in turn, will lead to the death of many forms of life on it.
It cannot be said that the distance of the Moon came as a surprise to scientists. Over the past more than four decades, they have been observing the satellite very closely. In 1968, Apollo astronauts left the first instrument equipped with reflectors on the moon. This was done to more accurately measure the distance to the Moon using lasers. And this turned out to be just the thing.
Thus, currently in the state of New Mexico there is modern equipment that can easily calculate the distance from the Earth to the Moon. It is more difficult to determine at what speed the Moon is moving away. But we managed to find out this too. Decades of tireless work have shown that the satellite is moving away at a rate of four centimeters per year. It would seem that this is a very small value, but it is growing year after year.
Many people underestimate what the Moon is for our planet and what its gravity does for us.
Our satellite has the most large mass relative to its planet in the solar system, and thanks to such a mass it can ensure the stability of our planet. The Earth's rotation is determined by its gravity, the force that attracts objects. Its magnitude depends not only on the distance between the planet and its satellite, but also on their masses, and since the mass of the Moon is very large, gravity is correspondingly large. At a distance of 800 thousand kilometers, lunar gravity holds our planet in its orbit. And this is very important for her: the Earth has a stable axis located at an angle of 23 degrees, and therefore, thanks to this slight tilt, the rays of the Sun are distributed evenly throughout the globe, maintaining a relatively narrow temperature spectrum on Earth, which is ideal for life.
And as long as the angle of inclination of the earth’s axis exists at this value, earthlings will have a comfortable and constant climate system. And it is this stability that makes it possible for all living things on the planet to live and develop.
The change of seasons familiar to humans is also associated with the tilt of the axis.
And if it were not for the Moon, the angle of inclination of the planet would be unstable, which means there would be no stable sunsets and sunrises, there would be no summer and winter.
Periodically, the angle of the earth's axis changes by two or three degrees in one direction or another, and as a result we observe many natural disasters. And what will happen when, as a result of changes in the magnitude of gravity, the angle of inclination begins to change steadily.
About a hundred thousand years ago, a slight drop in the axis angle changed the angle of incidence sun rays to the Earth, turning our lush forests into desert. And this is probably what caused the migration of ancient people north from Africa, and in North America and Europe, this displacement provoked an ice age that lasted for millennia.
And if scientists consider this ice age to be a global event for our planet, then it is difficult to imagine what would happen to it without the Moon. The earth will change beyond recognition, and climates will become unpredictable, presenting people with sudden temperature fluctuations.
Lunar gravity also affects the tides. Tidal cycles are repeated twice per day: this is how many times the Earth passes through the expansion zone directed towards the Moon. After all, it is lunar gravity, acting on the surface of the sea, that causes the tide.
Without lunar influence, the four-meter rise in water level at the equator will disappear, and the water will move deep into the planet, to the continents, which will naturally lead to a rise in sea level. And first of all, New York and Rio de Janeiro will be hit. The floods will devastate both cities, leaving millions homeless, some of whom will inevitably die. That's how much impact the Moon has on its planet.
And all of the above is not science fiction at all.
The moon, however, is moving away, and when it leaves completely, we - the inhabitants of the planet - will be doomed.
According to the researcher's findings, the Earth and the Moon did not always exist. The moon arose as a result of a cataclysm four and a half billion years ago.
The Earth formed from a protoplanet formed in the Solar System. Then it consisted half of molten mass. One fine day, the still young Earth collided with another planet, close in size to Mars. The blow fell exactly at an angle of 45 degrees,
And when both planets collided, a giant cloud of rock debris was formed. The cloud was carried away from the Earth to such a distance that it could move around it in orbit. Some fragments of the smaller planet did not fall to Earth, but remained orbiting the Earth, sometimes merging with each other. And as a result, our native Moon began to form very slowly.
Four and a half billion years ago, the Earth rotated four times faster than it does today. The day lasted six hours, and the Earth's axis was tilted only ten degrees.
But over the past time everything has changed. And since the Moon used to be much closer to the Earth, it had a stronger gravitational effect on the tides, so the strength of the tides also changed.
The Moon formed at a distance twelve thousand times closer than it is today. Soon an ocean formed on the planet, and the Moon began to cause friction four times more often. The water was distributed among the small volcanic islands, and tidal friction began to reduce the Earth's rotation speed.
Over the next three billion years, our continents form, and tidal friction slows the planet's motion by up to eighteen hours per day. Half a billion years later, a day lasts 22 hours, adding a fraction of a second each year. And as a result, the day reached 24 hours.
In a billion years, the moon's gravity may slow down the rotation so much that there will be about thirty hours in a day.
However, gravity also acts in the opposite direction. And since the mass of the Earth is greater, its impact on the Moon is stronger. The Earth, in turn, slowed down the axial rotation of the Moon to one revolution per month.
When looking at the Moon, we always see the same side facing us. The Earth and Moon are in the same coupling, tied by gravity.
And it is the gravity of the Earth that has a more noticeable effect on the Moon.
As the Earth rotates, friction on the ocean floor slightly shifts the daily tidal wave from the point directly facing the Moon to the east. This volume of water has such enormous mass that its gravity pushes the Moon forward in its orbit, causing it to move further and further away from the planet. This one is very similar to a pebble tied to a rope: the faster you rotate it, the further away it will be from the person rotating it.
But it is also interesting that the Moon is not only moving away, but also gaining speed. In the Precambrian period, the rate of retreat was equal to 2 centimeters per year, and today's calculations made using lasers record an increase in the rate to 3.5 centimeters.
As the Moon moves away, the days will become longer, which means the seasons will be disrupted, which will turn life on Earth into something completely different.
To more clearly understand what the state of planet Earth will be, just look at its close neighbor - Mars.
Mars and Earth have a lot general characteristics: They formed around the same time. The red color of Mars is given by hematite, a metal that is abundant on Earth. Like Earth, Mars has an ice sheet.
In 2004, scientists learned a lot about the Red Planet by landing on it. Scientists did not find water on the planet, but they found there something similar to former river beds and nodules - small spherical accumulations of fused minerals. On our planet, nodules form when water passes through sedimentary rocks, dissolving minerals, which then form into balls.
Scientists have found large deposits of nodules here on Earth in the desert of southern Utah, trying to understand the past of the planet Mars and the future of our planet. It turned out that the vast Utah desert was once the bottom of the ocean. And if the nodules on Mars developed in a similar way, then there was once a lot of water on Mars, which means that life there was also possible. But today Mars is a huge lifeless and waterless space, and scientists do not deny that if water leaves the Earth, it will become the same.
If the Moon's gravity goes away, a new redistribution of ocean water will begin on Earth. True, unlike Mars, the Earth will retain some of its liquid water due to the magnetic poles, but the water will rise hundreds of meters, wreaking havoc throughout the world.
In addition, without the protection of the Moon, the Earth will fall under the gravity of larger planets, such as Jupiter. The stable tilt of the Earth will be a thing of the past. The planet will begin to tilt on its side, and many coastal areas will be flooded. And over time, the situation will only get worse. Since the speed of the Moon’s retreat is increasing, such a scenario is quite possible.
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The Moon is a satellite of the Earth and something like a bodyguard, protecting our planet from asteroids and meteors. Thanks to the Moon, things happen on Earth regular shift ebbs and flows, and the tilt of the planet’s rotation axis is maintained. Now imagine how life on Earth will change if something suddenly happens to the Moon.
The Moon helps the planet maintain its axis of rotation at one, its usual angle of 22-24 degrees. If the Moon suddenly disappears, this angle will fluctuate very strongly, that is, the planet will begin to “sausage” - and, accordingly, climate and seasonality changes will begin. The clear change of seasons will be a thing of the past, the weather will behave unpredictably, replacing weeks of rain with months of drought, and then covering everything with snow.
Without the Moon in the sky, the tilt of the Earth's axis will change quite quickly, which will lead to huge changes on our planet in a very short time. And that can make the most of earth's surface unsuitable for life and agriculture. The growth of uninhabited wastelands on Earth can occur quickly, within a few years. And the ice caps at the poles will melt much faster than now, which will raise the level of the world's oceans and ultimately lead to a cooling of the planet. That is, after the completion of the stage of heating and melting of ice, the next ice age will begin. The transition to it will be quite long and gradual, but on the outer surface of the Earth these changes will affect quickly enough and will be obvious.
Without the Moon, the Earth's rotation speed will change. The Moon slows it down, taking part of the Earth's rotational energy for its own orbit. In the absence of the Moon, our planet will begin to spin much faster, but even if it didn't, the sudden loss of Earth's gravitational force would likely lead to major climate changes. For example, the strongest hurricanes and storms that simply sweep away everything in their path.
If the Moon disappears, we will gradually see volcanoes awakening - one after another, somewhere within a couple of years. After all, sharp fluctuations in the inclination of the Earth’s rotation axis and changes in the rotation speed will cause strong tremors of the planet, followed by all sorts of geological disasters. Tectonic plates will begin to shift, causing earthquakes. And volcanic activity in this case is inevitable.
The Moon is one of the important objects of space research, and if it disappears, then astronautics will lose a lot. There is nothing to say here: you can get to the Moon in four days. The path to the other one closest to us cosmic body takes at least a month. The Moon is very important for the development of science and its loss would be irreparable.
It may seem that the regularity of the ebb and flow of the tides has no special significance for life on Earth, but this is not so. In fact, it is critical to maintaining ecosystems in balance and controlling and stabilizing ocean temperatures by connecting warm and cold currents.
How can the Moon suddenly disappear? Suppose it exploded (this is the first and most obvious thing you can imagine). And we remain like this on Earth - not only without protection from meteors, but also pieces of the exploded Moon are falling on us... The speed of 8 km/sec is quite high, and if small fragments burn up in the atmosphere, then larger ones will reach the Earth and will cause her considerable damage.
Normally, the Moon's gravitational pull causes a bubble of water to "swell" around the Earth's middle. Without the Moon the bubble will burst and you can imagine where will he go water. This will create tidal waves of incredible proportions that will hit the coasts.
The Moon slows down the rotation of the Earth, and without the Moon, a day on our planet would last only 6 hours. If the Moon disappears, then nothing will take away some of the energy from the Earth and the Earth's rotation will accelerate. The change will occur gradually, but quite quickly - within a few years the calendar will completely change.
Without the protection of the Moon's bodyguard, the Earth will be open and vulnerable. It’s not for nothing that our satellite is covered in crater holes, and each one was formed as a result of a collision with some celestial body. And if there is no Moon, then the next such collision is much more likely to occur with the Earth.
The tilt of the Earth's rotation axis plays an extremely important role in how life on our planet is organized, and the Moon is one of the key components on which this tilt depends. Without the Moon, the axial tilt could change from 24.5 degrees to 45 degrees, and if this happens, then the poles will no longer be covered with snow. The melting of the poles will completely change the appearance of the planet. Forest areas will become deserts, and very quickly. All the ice that melted in the northern and south poles, will lead to a sharp increase in CO2 content in the air, and this, in turn, will lead to even more drastic climate changes... In general, we are all finished.
It may sound stupid, but still many people involved in agriculture, check with the phases of the Moon - when to plant what, when to fertilize, when to harvest, etc. Especially small farmers who are simply accustomed to doing this. If the Moon disappeared, what would they, poor people, do? Farms will have to be closed. Besides, there won’t be much sense in them anyway when everything starts to collapse and fall into disrepair.