When you look up at the beautiful night sky the Moon is always there looking right back at you. The glowing rock that’s shaped like a perfect sphere is a part of our every day life. What if you looked up one day, and the moon wasn’t there anymore? Sounds crazy, but that could be he future as scientific evidence shows the moon is leaving us.
How the Moon Was Formed Ties into Why the Moon is Leaving Us
4.5 Billion years ago the moon was created after rocky objects floating around the earth slowly formed the spherical object we see today, with the help of gravitational forces. Those rocky objects came from a large meteor hitting the earth that then got stuck in its gravitational pull.
Back then the moon was much closer to earth, almost 8 times as close as it is today. Those same gravitational forces that helped create the moon are also part of the reason the moon is leaving Earth. It’s like the gift was also a curse.
The Science Behind Why the Moon is Leaving Us and Why It Can’t Stopped
If you’ve ever took a science class in school, you’ve probably heard about low tide and high tide. It’s a water phenomenon that is caused by the moon’s gravitational pull on Earth called ‘Tidal Force’. Did you know the oceans also have a gravitational pull on the moon?
When the oceans pull back at the moon, it causes it to orbit faster. When the ocean makes the moon orbit faster it also causes the moon to escape Earth’s orbit at a faster pace. As result the moon is leaving Earth’s orbit at an increasingly fast rate.
How Human Life Could be Impacted Because the Moon is Leaving Earth
The farther the moon drifts away from Earth, the less impact its Tidal Force will have on causing high tide and low tide. Some people might not understand how important those two things are, but these are some examples of how it could negatively impact human life.
- High Tide and Low Tide have a major impact on how on the reproductive capabilities of fish and ocean plants. Without the moon ocean wildlife could be endangered.
- Tides help balance the climate by stirring the ocean, which makes climate optimally habitable for humans and other animals. Without the moon abnormal weather patterns could become the norm.
- Ships rely on high tide to dock more easily close to shore. A reduction in high tides could severely impact the shipping routes of cargo ships, leading to shortages and increased prices of various products humans rely on.
- This reason isn’t as important as the aforementioned, but it still needs to be mentioned. Dreams of going on a romantic date and kissing under the moonlit sky would be impossible with no moon.
Those are only a few examples of what can happen because the moon is leaving us. The sad thing even though we know the Moon is leaving Earth there is no possible way to stop. Millions of years from now the moon will be so far away from Earth it will be talked about as a thing of the past.
Author: JordanThrilla Staff
