Well Moon does not provide us something unique that is very essential for us to live here on Earth. But it does assists Earth in the enhancing life-support systems. But what if our Moon suddenly gets disappear? To know this we may probably start with facts that why is the moon important? Let's go deeper.
Why is the Moon important?
Because of its proximity to Earth, the moon exerts a strong gravitational pull on the Earth. It is this gravitational pull that causes the oceans to rise and fall in what we call tides.
Moon is important in influencing the Earth’s climate is also significant. The moon’s gravity has the effect of slowing down the Earth’s rotation. If the Earth’s rotation were faster, then every day would be shorter. Shorter days would result in the temperature on Earth taking a substantial drop because there would be less time for the sun to heat the Earth.
What if the Moon disappears?
Dark: Moon reflects the sun's light at night. Without moon, the brightest object would be Venus. 42 million kilometers away, it is 14000 times dimmer than the moon.
Evolution: We have had moon for 4.5 billion years. Humans may have evolved differently without moon, enabling our eyes to see better in the dark.
Tides: Tides would be controlled by sun, making them smaller because, the sun is so far away.
Day: Days would be shorter. Tidal friction provided by the moon slows down the earth's rotation. Without it days would only be 6-8 hours long.
Year: We would have 1000-1400 days a year because days are shorter.
We have had moon for 4.5 billion years even though it drifts away at 1.2cm/year. We'll never experience life on earth without the moon.
The End Notes
The moon is thought to have aided life by providing tides, climatic stability, and asteroid deflection. Complex life needed hundreds of millions of years to develop from slightly less complex life, and hundreds of millions of years to develop from simple life. Having few extinctions (volcanism, heavy bombardment, asteroids, ice ages) has allowed life to develop. That's all for this post. I'll be back with another very soon.
Cheers!
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