What would happen if the moon disappeared? The question may seem empty because there is no indication that our satellite will disappear. However, understanding what effects would be unleashed on our planet in a scenario of this magnitude allows us to understand the transcendental role the Moon plays on our planet and why thoughts using it to place an ad is utter stupidity.
Completely different ebb and flow
The most common image one has when thinking about the catastrophic scenario of the moon disappearing is that we would stop having tides. This is false because Moon It is not the only star that produces tides, as the Sun also does so, albeit with less force.
Recall that the oceans are primarily subject to the gravitational pull of the moon, which produces tides. If the Moon were to suddenly disappear, we would have a much weaker tide because the only stellar object that would attract them would be the Sun.
These tides, which would be more equivalent to a fine wave, would cause profound changes in marine ecosystems, weakening ocean currents and disrupting the water cycle that allows the oceans to clean their waters.
Another catastrophic effect would be to redistribute water towards the poles, raise sea levels on the coasts and induce climate change.
The spin axis is as different as it is catastrophic
This relationship is less talked about because it is less direct, but the Moon’s orbital motion (about 29 days to orbit the Earth) acts as a stabilizer of the Earth’s rotation axis and its 23 degree tilt.
Well, without the Moon, the Earth’s precession (the movement made by the Earth’s axis that completes a circle every 26,000 years) would slow down, causing the Earth’s axis to lose stability and the planet’s tilt to change between 0 and 90 degrees. This change would alter the climate catastrophically, causing summers of up to 100 degrees in some places, as well as winters below -80 degrees in other parts of the planet.
In a hypothetical total disaster scenario, the Earth’s axis could be aligned directly with the Sun, causing some parts of our planet to live eternally illuminated and suffocated by hellish heat, while others would be in total darkness.
Goodbye to thousands of species
Many species have evolved and adapted to the moonlit night. If our satellite were to suddenly disappear, these species, which have adapted over thousands of years, would have to adapt their nature to total darkness.
The disappearance of the Moon would also change the rhythms and life processes of many other species, such as migrations, reproductive calendars or hibernation.
Also, and in relation to the Moon’s influence on the tides, marine ecosystems would be severely affected by the elimination of currents, which serve as a sort of transport vehicle for the transport of nutrients upon which thousands of species depend.
Shorter days and a more inhospitable planet
These effects would not be immediate because in the opposite direction over millions of years the Moon has slowed the Earth’s rotation, which is thought to be about 6 hours before the Moon was formed.
If the Moon were to suddenly disappear, the slow process to speed up the Earth’s rotation rate would begin. Scientists believe that if the Moon had never formed, the Earth’s rotation would be completed in about 8 hours. This phenomenon would also cause stronger winds of 160 to 200 kilometers per hour.
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