viernes, 1 de marzo de 2013

We could have evolved without the Moon
Our world would certainly be quite different if it had no large satellite. But apparently it would not be so radically different that its absence would necessarily prevent humans from ever seeing the light of day.
Another question is what would happen if the Moon were to suddenly decide to say goodbye. Would we survive that?
“Yes we would. Nothing too severe would happen because the Moon could never vanish instantaneously. It would slowly get further away and eventually leave us. But there’s nothing indicating that we’ll lose the Moon, so this is purely hypothetical,”Aksnes assures us.
The night sky would be less interesting, but we could survive without the Moon, according to Aksnes. (Photo: Colourbox)
The Moon actually is in the process of leaving us, at a rate of nearly four centimetres a year. Neither the oceanic tides nor the length of the day are particularly crucial to our survival, so the most important aspect of this separation is the way the changes in the Earth’s tilt would impact us.
“I would expect the Earth to still be habitable, even when considering large changes in the axis. The Earth can be compared to a spinning top. The force of its rotation makes it relatively stable. Despite losing the stabilizing Moon it would take a long time before the tilt of Earth’s axis changed much,” Aksnes points out.
“If for instance you look at the life expectancy of a civilization as a few thousand years, the changes would be so slowly paced that we could have time to adapt.”
If you are still nervous about what will happen eventually as the Moon orbits further and further away, you might find solace in the following: By the time any serious consequences could occur, the Sun will have become a red giant and will have consumed both the Earth and the Moon.

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