We perceive the moon as a constant in our sky, but the fact is that it has a very fundamental influence on well-being and life on Earth, and it is far from just a question of tides and tides.
The fact that our space companion the Moon is slowly leaving us has been suspected by mankind since the time when a famous British astronomer deduced it from historical records of solar eclipses Edmund Halley. Roughly 300 years have passed since then, and we managed to verify his theory bulletproof. Both American and Soviet astronauts (and by the way, Indian ones as well) placed our natural satellite on the surface during their lunar missions mirrors, from which laser beams can be reflected.
Measurement she subsequently showed that the moon is drifting away from us at a speed that may seem completely ridiculous from a human point of view – 3.8 centimeters per year. This roughly corresponds to the rate at which our toenails grow. But in cosmic terms it is far from negligible.
High tide and low tide
Our Moon is pretty special from what we know of the universe. First of all, it is huge. Taken in proportion to the planet it orbits, it is the largest of the moons in the entire Solar System. It probably formed 4.5 billion years ago during a planetary collision.
The so-called are to blame for drifting away tidal forces. We see their action as an ebb and flow. Complex interaction of gravitational, inertial and centrifugal forces accompanied by a loss of earth system energy (that’s why our days are slightly longer). The moon, on the other hand, receives energy, its rotation accelerates, and therefore it moves away.
How Moon affects ocean tides on Earth pic.twitter.com/ngsljZoCMk
— Space Explorer Mike 🇺🇦 (@MichaelGalanin) June 6, 2023
Tides and ebbs are not caused only by the Moon, of course some of them also affect the Sun. However, a huge number of organisms currently rely on their regularity and strength, and they are the basis of many ecosystems. And when our planet loses them, everything changes.
Meteorites and seasons
In addition to the tides, the Earth relies on the Moon for other things. For example, he is our bodyguard. Its gravitational field picks up enough asteroids that would otherwise hit Earth. But his ability to protect us is getting smaller every year.
And speaking of shrinking, the Moon and Sun appear the same size from our vantage point right now. But as the Moon recedes, the end will come with a total eclipse of the Sun – because the further it is, the smaller it will appear.
Of course, neither of these things is downright devastating. But we haven’t mentioned the most important thing that the moon provides us yet. It is about the stability of the seasons. It is thanks to our natural satellite that the Earth remains stationary, slightly inclined axis, and so our planet experiences an absolutely unprecedented regular change of seasons. Sure, the overall climate changes, but summer is always summer and winter is winter.
Other planets, which do not have the luxury of the Moon, constantly change the tilt of their axis as the forces of other large cosmic bodies act on them. About regular predictable change of seasonsthey can only dream, and the Earth will have to say goodbye to him one day.
We may not be here anymore
On the other hand, it took 4.5 billion years to get from its original distance of about 35,000 kilometers from the Earth to the current 384,000 kilometers to the Moon, so it’s hard to say if humanity as a species will still exist before we feel some fundamental difference. It would therefore be foolish to get nervous about this fact.
After all, worse things await the solar system. During about 4.5 billion years, our galaxy collide with Andromeda. And even if nothing major happens in the subsequent galactic merger with the solar system, the Sun will soon morph into red giantthe Earth will be completely scorched, and the gravitational instability of the entire solar system will then perhaps catapult the forgotten and distant Moon somewhere beyond Kuiper belt. So we can safely say that there are much more pressing problems to solve at the moment.
Source: Techmania, NASA, Science Focus, Popular Mechanics
2023-12-06 05:00:27
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