Nationalgeographic.co.id—The 2003 film “Bruce Almighty” starring Jim Carrey. He plays a character who suddenly gains God-like power. By using that power he binds Month full moon and pulled it closer to Earth to seduce her lover. Later in the film there is a background scene showing a TV news report about an unprecedented worldwide flood.
This film is clearly fiction. However, the story about the impact of flooding due to location displacement Month it begs the question: What would happen if Month twice as close to Earth than where it is now?
In fact, the flood scenario of the film is not far from what would actually be possible if Month suddenly closer to Earth, says Neil Comins, a physicist at the University of Maine. Effect month the most famous is its gravitational pull on the ocean Earth, which produces two high tides and two low tides each day.
However, if the distance between Month and Earth get closer, say, so half of the distance it is now, the tides will be eight times higher, Comins said. Some islands will be completely underwater for most of the day, and some previously inhabited coastlines will likely become uninhabitable due to high tide, he added.
The tides in higher seas won’t be the only result of Month closer. Month also has a tidal effect on land Earth, said Comins.
If Month suddenly twice as close to Earth, the effect will be like hitting a gong with a hammer. “Waves of energy will reverberate through the planet due to the force of attraction gravity Month which suddenly increased,” said Comins as reported by Live Science.
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Nisrina Darnila
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The moon is seen behind the Colorado State Capitol Building during an eclipse.
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And that sudden gravitational hit “is actually going to have an impact on the Earth’s crust, which means it could trigger more earthquakes, it could trigger more volcanic eruptions,” said Jazmin Scarlett, a historical and social volcanologist at Queen Mary University of America. London.
To illustrate, let’s take Io, Jupiter’s moon, as an example. Io is the most volcanically active celestial body in the solar system, says Scarlett. Io’s volcanism is the result of the push and pull of the gravity of Jupiter and the other two moons. Earth might suffer the same fate if the Moon were suddenly halfway closer to it.
As all of the planet’s crust bends suddenly, the Earth’s spin will slow down over time. This is because, as the moon’s gravity pulls on the oceans, the resulting friction between the ocean floor and the water slows the Earth’s spin. Currently, Earth’s rotation is slowing by about a thousandth of a second per century, Comins said. If the Moon were half that distance, Earth’s rotation would slow down even more, dragging out our day and night.
If we survive sudden earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, lengthening of day and night, and higher tides, we will at least see more solar eclipses. Because the Moon will cover a larger area of the sky, it will be more likely for the Moon to pass in front of the Sun from our perspective, Comins said.
We can even still see the Sun’s corona (its outer atmosphere) glowing around the moon’s dark silhouette, but not as clearly, he added. Otherwise, the Moon and its phases would look almost the same, only bigger in the sky.
Furthermore, longer days and nights can alter our climate and drive evolutionary change in a variety of ways, says Scarlett. The animals had to adapt to a brighter moon at night. For example, prey may have to learn how to hide better at night, as predators may have more light when hunting.
Also Read: How NASA Reveals How to Keep Rocks from the Moon From Stolen and Sold on the Black Market
photofxs68/Getty Images/iStockphoto
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Moon illustration.
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The question is, could something natural cause the Moon to drift closer to Earth?
This is of course wild speculation, but Comins decided to answer it. “If a fairly massive object passes close to the Earth-Moon system, and the Moon is in the right place of its orbit as this object passes, this object has the potential to take energy from the Moon, and that will cause it to spin closer to us,” Comins said.
The regularity of the distance between Earth and the Moon today is a wonder of the universe that has allowed humans and many other animals to live comfortably on Earth. But this comfort can be disrupted if a large asteroid moves to the right place at the right time to push the Moon closer to us.
Instead of watching the Moon more closely but causing disaster, of course we hope that the Moon will remain in its orbit as it is now.
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