What would happen if the moon disappeared?

[Admin]

What would happen if our closest neighbor, the moon, disappeared? Here we explore the possible effects it could have on the environment and life on Earth.

What would happen if the moon disappeared? : Read more

 

[Unclear Engineer]

I few thoughts that came to me as I read this article:

1. Any collision of a body large enough to take the Moon completely out of Earth orbit would also have a profound effect on the orbit of the Earth around the Sun, even without touching the Earth. In the sense of momentum transfer by gravitational attraction, rather than physical contact, it would still be similar to a collision of two billiard balls. Earth would get a substantial push in some direction, substantially changing its orbit around the Sun.

2. But, a lot of this story has to do with not having what the Moon normally does to the Earth, rather than the effects of something that could move it away. In that regard, the story seems to neglect the effects of the Moon's gravity on the "tides" of things other than the oceans. It isn't just the water surface that rises and falls due to the Moon's gravity. The Earth's crust also rises and falls. Not as much as Jupiter's gravity apparently affects Io, but I wonder how much it affects volcanism on Earth. And, does the Moon cause the plate tectonic motions here on Earth? Directly or indirectly? We aren't seeing similar motions on other small planets without large moons.

And, while we wonder about situations other than what we really have: I wonder what would have happened if the postulated collision between Theia and proto-Earth had resulted in 2 very similar planets of about the same size and composition as Earth. Instead of going to a lifeless orb of rock and (maybe) frozen water, could we instead have the opportunity to go to another habitable world? Or, maybe its slightly superior denizens might be coming to our world first. At least it would give us a population of 2 planets where life evolved to compare and contrast - might answer some questions we still have about such things.

 

[Classical Motion]

Interesting. If the moon could be removed without effecting earth, I bet this would be a terrible place to try to live. Talk about climate change.

I believe that the tides limit and break the amount of wave superposition of wind waves and rotational waves. Without tides, waves could grow much larger and more scattered. The tides from this would be un-predictable. And the ocean currents would change and possibly too, be changing and un-predictable. UN-dependable And would probably effect ground water flow......without the bellowing effect.

These ocean effects might knock the heck out of our atmospheric climate patterns.

And of course a huge die off of tidal life. Which will effect other life chains.

It would probably be terrible to go thru, and adapt to. Needed rains and snowfalls might not come. Or just come by chance.

We might get only two seasons. A stormy season six months long, as it oscillates hemispheres.