The Moon & Earth

Written by: Caroline Kim

February 11, 2023

Something that doesn’t receive as much attention as it should, I think, is the moon. We see it all the time, and it’s a normal part of our lives. However, it influences how we live and how earth functions at a much higher level than most may realize. Today, we’ll dive into what the moon does for earth and how changes to the moon can directly impact the earth. It’s the only extraterrestrial place humans have set foot on, maintaining earth’s axis tilt, climate, and tides (Earth’s Moon).

At a size of about 27% of earth (Choi), it is theorized that the moon formed from the debris from a collision between earth and another small planet (Lotzof). It orbits earth every 27 days, is structured with a core, mantle, and crust (Earth’s Moon). Our moon is approximately 238,855 miles from earth and has a radius of 1080 miles (Earth’s Moon). In comparison to the earth, the moon has a much weaker atmosphere and magnetosphere, lacking any moons of its own (Earth’s Moon).

A major impact the moon has on earth is tides- which are caused by the gravitational pull between the sun and moon (How does the Moon affect the Earth). Without the moon, tides would be much weaker and cause significant change to the intertidal zone; this would cause a balance to be thrown off in the way sea turtles and other marine organisms move, causing fishing to be more difficult (How does the Moon affect the Earth). In worst case scenarios, significant amounts of aquatic life will die off. Additionally, the wobble of earth’s axis would be amplified, becoming much more extreme; this would cause seasons to change dynamically (How does the Moon affect the Earth). While the moon isn’t going to disappear anytime soon, it is drifting farther away from earth at a rate of about 2.8 cm/year (Davies).

While this isn’t happening, let’s explore what might happen if the moon were to get closer to the earth- the result is actually quite interesting. Coastline shores would be flooded as low tides get lower an high tides get higher due to an amplified gravitational pull; even major cities like New York would be engulfed by water (Lavender). This amplified gravitational pull would also impact the earth’s crust, which results in earthquakes and volcanic eruptions (Wendel). Earth’s rotation would slow down, leading to days and nights being longer, which would cause change in the patterns of animals and plants (Wendel). Interestingly, if the moon got close enough to the earth, about 11,185 miles, the moon would, “... pull apart and be shredded into a beautiful ring” (Cain). Of course, there would also be more meteors and stars in the night sky (What Would Happen if the Moon Exploded). In theory, this may sound incredible, but it’s safe to say it’s safest that the moon stays put.

Sources:

“Earth's Moon.” NASA, NASA, 15 Dec. 2022, https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/earths-moon/overview/#:~:text=The%20brightest%20and%20largest%20object,humans%20for%20 thousands%20of%20 years.

Lotzof, Kerry. “How Did The Moon Form?” Natural History Museum, https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-did-the-moon-form.html#:~:text=What%20is%20most%20widely%20accepted,Earth%20to%20form%20the%20Moon.

Choi, Charles Q. “Moon Facts: Fun Information about the Earth's Moon.” Space.com, Space, 13 Dec. 2021, https://www.space.com/55-earths-moon-formation-composition-and-orbit.html.

“How Does the Moon Affect the Earth? | Institute of Physics.” Institute of Physics, https://www.iop.org/explore-physics/moon/how-does-moon-affect-earth.

Davies, Joshua, and Margriet Lantink. “Our Moon Has Been Slowly Drifting Away from Earth over the Past 2.5 Billion Years.” Space.com, Space, 17 Oct. 2022, https://www.space.com/moon-drifting-away-from-earth-2-5-billion-years.

Lavender, Gemma. “What Would Happen If the Moon Moved Closer to the Earth?: Space Facts – Astronomy, the Solar System & Outer Space: All about Space Magazine.” Space Facts Astronomy the Solar System Outer Space All About Space Magazine, 10 June 2018, https://www.spaceanswers.com/solar-system/what-would-happen-if-the-moon-moved-closer-to-the-earth/.

Wendel, JoAnna. “What Would Happen If the Moon Were Twice as Close to Earth?” LiveScience, Purch, 18 July 2021, https://www.livescience.com/what-if-moon-closer-to-earth.html.

Cain, Fraser. “How Could We Destroy the Moon?” Universe Today, 27 Feb. 2017, https://www.universetoday.com/121421/how-could-we-destroy-the-moon/#:~:text=This%20is%20all%20based%20on,shredded%20into%20a%20beautiful%20ring.

“What Would Happen If the Moon Exploded?: Facts & Impact on Earth.” The Nine Planets, 14 Nov. 2019, https://nineplanets.org/questions/happen-moon-exploded/.