|
Most moons in our solar system are tiny relative to the planets they orbit. Earth’s moon is relatively large.
Imagine Earth without a moon.
No solar or lunar eclipses. No calendars based on a system of months. The word month, after all, stems from a word that means moon – because many calendars are based on the changing phases of the moon.
With no moon, there’d be no nearby world for astronauts to visit – no romantic moonlight walks – no concept of moon madness, or lunacy. The night sky would always be inky black, with only artificial city lights to drown out the light of the stars.
Also, without the moon, Earth would spin faster. Billions of years ago, Earth spun around on its axis much faster. At one time, our world’s cycle of day and night was less than ten hours long. The ebb and flow of the tides are what put the brakes on Earth’s spin. The moon and sun together cause for the tides. If we’d never had a moon, we’d still have tides, but they wouldn’t be as strong. So we’d still have a shorter day.
There are lots of other scenarios for what life on Earth would be like without a moon . . . you’ll find several below.
FROM:REUTERS |
|