The Earth Without the Moon - Research Paper

Introduction

Researchers and scientists have in the past indicated that the moon and the earth have been together for almost 4.5 billion years. The earth's moon is larger than any other moon in the solar system when one compares the size of the moon in relation to the planet it orbits. For many of us, the moon is a source of light at night. However, the moon has been associated with several phenomena all over the world. Some of them have been scientifically proven while others remain theoretical. The moon is associated with lunacy or insanity, changes in animal behavior such as during the howling at the moon, farming, and in some cases, menstrual cycles. It has also been linked with several religions and faiths all over the world like in the case of the Islam religion. Destroying the moon would have severe effects on the earth that would probably lead to the death of life-forms on the planet at different levels, but the earth would still survive.

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Researchers have indicated that destroying the moon would lead to the destruction of the earth by extra-terrestrial debris. The earth's gravitational force attracts much extra-terrestrial debris. If the moon was to be destroyed, its debris would re-form into smaller moons if there is enough force between the debris. If there is not enough force, the debris will form a ring around the earth that would eventually deorbit from the earth's atmosphere causing a series of impacts. These impacts would be different from those felt when asteroids and comets enter our atmosphere. These chunks of the moon would have less energy compared to other asteroids which means that the moon chunks would hit the earth surface at speeds that would have little effect on human life (Siegel). Satellite images indicate that the moon is covered in craters. This is because it is hit by meteorites that are found in space. Its gravitational force pulls some of these space rocks towards it and thus protecting the earth from such rock. In its absence, the earth would be vulnerable to meteorites and other space rocks (O'Callaghan). The effects of these rocks on the earth would depend on the size and composition of the rock.

Another effect the destruction of the moon would have on the earth is increased brightness during the night. The moon is the second-brightest object in our sky, and although the sun is 400,000 times brighter than the full moon, the moon is still 14,000 times more brilliant when compared to the next most luminous object in the sky: Venus. Therefore, without the moon, there would be no hindrance to pristine. Nevertheless, this phenomenon would not destroy the earth.

Eclipses are as a result of the presence of the moon in our orbit, and therefore, its elimination would see the end of solar eclipses, total eclipses, annular eclipses, and lunar eclipses. Eclipses occur when the moon passes between the sun and the earth or transit across the surface of the sun. In some cases, it obscures a fraction of the sun's light otherwise known as a partial eclipse. In the absence of the moon, all these forms of eclipse would not occur.

In the past, researchers have identified that the moon exerts a tiny fractional force on the earth which is continuously in orbit around the sun. This particular force slows down the rate at which the moon spins over a period of time. It has been proven that the earth may lose a few seconds because of the effect of the moon but over time it adds back to the regular twenty-four hours. Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, the length of the day was 22 hours. A few billion years ago, the period of the day was under 10 hours (Siegel). The moon appears to slow down the rate at which the earth spins which consequently affects the length of a day. However, in the absence of the moon, the day-length would remain constant.

Tides refer to the rise and fall of the sea levels which is produced as a result of the gravitational attraction of the moon and the sun. Lunar tides arise when the moo tires to pull the Earth, but unfortunately, the earth is fixed and therefore, the only thing affected is water which the earth is unable to hold on to completely. As a result, high and low tides are created on large water bodies. In other words, the gravitational force exerted by the moon to the earth makes the water in the oceans, and the seas bulge towards the moon. The interaction between the earth, the moon, and the earth lead to the fluctuation in the daily ocean levels. The combined effort by the sun and the moon lead to high and low tides. Springer tides are some of the biggest tides in the world that occurs when the moon, the earth, and the sun align. Neap tides are relatively smaller and occur when the three are at right angles with each other. Therefore, in the absence of the moon, the tides are likely to be tiny or insignificant. The ocean levels would remain relatively constant throughout the day and night. Such differences would not cripple the planet but would definitely have some effects on human activities. Tides are vital in ensuring the circulation of nutrients in our oceans. Water-based life would struggle to survive in the absence of the moon, and after some time, they would die or probably go extinct (O'Callaghan).

One unfortunate thing that would happen if the moon was destroyed would be the destabilization of the earth's axial tilt (Laskar et al.615). Currently, the earth spins on its own axis at a tilted angle of 23.4 relative to the orbital plane around the sun. Over the years this particular tilt has changed from as little as 22.1 to as high as 24.5. Throughout this change, the moon acts a stabilizing force. Planets like Mars without big moons have their axial tilt changed ten times higher than that of the earth. It is estimated that in the absence of the moon the earth's obliquity would be at the time be as high as 45. If the moon was absent the torque exerted on the Earth would be relatively smaller which would consequently increase the chaotic zone from 0 to almost 85 (Laskar et al.). Chaotic behavior would probably cause adverse changes in the climate. The moon is, therefore, regarded as a potential climate regulator. In its absence, there is a likelihood that our poles might not be cold and the region around the equator might not be warm. It is possible that without the moon all parts of the world would experience the ice age after a few thousand years. The earth would probably survive through such changes, but the lifeforms within it would not be as lucky. If the planet obliquity turns to 0, that would mean that some parts of the earth would receive prolonged daylight and increased temperatures while other would experience long cold nights. The consequences of such an event would be the loss of life.

Without the moon, the food web would also be affected especially for nocturnal animals that hunt at night with the assistance of the moon. Preys also use the moon to detect predators and therefore, in its absence many of these animals would have a hard time surviving through the night. This would, unfortunately, confuse many animals in the animal kingdom while consequently affecting the food web. Human beings would eventually be on the receiving end of most of these consequences given the nature in which we rely on our natural resources.

Conclusion

Earth is unique for its life-forms which are absent in other planets in the solar system. The moon's impact on the earth is significant and it absence would eventually lead to the destruction of different life-forms. In the end, life on earth would end and earth would lose meaning if the moon was destroyed.

Work Cited

Laskar, Jacques, Frederic Joutel, and Philippe Robutel. "Stabilization of the Earth's obliquity by the Moon." Nature361.6413 (1993): 615.

Lewis, Marsha. "What Would Happen If There Were No Moon?". Inside Science, 2015, https://www.insidescience.org/video/what-would-happen-if-there-were-no-moon. Accessed 13 Dec 2018.

O'Callaghan, Jonathan. "What Would Happen If We Blew Up The Moon? | Space Facts - Astronomy, The Solar System & Outer Space | All About Space Magazine". Spaceanswers.Com, 2013, https://www.spaceanswers.com/solar-system/what-would-happen-if-we-blew-up-the-moon/. Accessed 13 Dec 2018.

Siegel, Ethan. "7 Ways Earth Would Change If Our Moon Were Destroyed". Forbes.Com, 2017, https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2017/03/02/7-ways-earth-would-change-if-our-moon-were-destroyed/#12434a843852. Accessed 13 Dec 2018.