What if Moon just Disappeared?

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What if Moon just Disappeared?

We are well aware that Moon is our Only Natural Satellite, but there is one interesting fact. This companion of ours is Drifting away from us by approximately 1.7 inches per year. So, just a thought, What if, one day, this friend of lonesome Disappeared?

But before going there, isn't it a good idea to talk a bit about the importance of this Snow like Ball in space?

Moon is the closest astronomical object to us, and its diameter is a quarter of the Earth's diameter. And that's the most significant diametrical ration in our solar system. Interesting, right?

But you know what more interesting?  The effect Moon has on our home planet, the Earth. The Moon is responsible for the tides of the ocean. The Moon is the one that has a significant impact on the tilt of the Earth. Its Push and Pulls are responsible for the proper rain cycle. It helps in maintaining the stable Climate of our planet. And the most important thing is that it is the Moon because of which we have 24hrs. of day. Moon also gives us protection from the random celestial stuff.

And full Moon is about 14000 times as bright as the next most luminous object in the night sky, that is Venus. So, without Moon, every night would be as dark as the new Moon. You can see, many conditions have to be met to exist the life on planet Earth and the Moon plays a vital role in all this. And there is something, which helps the Moon in this crucial role. Any guesses?

GRAVITY!!

Every object with some mass attracts others because of the Gravitational force, and Gravity depends majorly on two aspects. The first one is the mass. Larger the mass, the greater force it has. The second one is the distance. More considerable the distance between two objects, lower is the gravitational force. Moon's Gravity has a significant influence on the Earth as Moon is the closest celestial object to the Earth and has a Significant size.

Now the question of the day, what will happen if one day Moon just Disappeared? I am sure all the astronomers out there would be more than happy to see the spectacular view of the night sky every day.

But, Jokes Apart, it would cause some Dramatic Effects. If the Moon suddenly disappeared, the Earth would no longer be stabilized. The 24hrs day cycle on the Earth is due to the Gravitational Effect of the Moon.  

In the absence of the Moon, the rotational speed of the Earth would increase drastically, as there will be no opposition (known as the Gravitational Friction) from the Moon. Day on the Earth would last only for 6 to 8hrs. (Obviously, we won’t have to wait long for the Weekends). The atmosphere of the Earth also rotates with the Earth. With increased rotation speed, we will experience very high wind speeds.

The tidal cycle will get disturbed. There would still be tiny tides due to the Gravitational Effect of the Sun and Mars, but they would not help much. As there will not be sufficient sea currents to stabilize the weather, it will result in the change in the seasonal cycle and Marine lifecycle. As there is more Gravity in the polar region, the water from the Equatorial area will move to the Polar Regions. That will result in large landmass in the Equatorial Region. Also, the tilt of Earth (23.5 Degree) will continuously vary between 100 to 450, and that will cause catastrophic consequences like an unpredictable day-night cycle and Seasonal cycles. Also, if Moon just Disappeared, with the absence of any shield the Asteroids and other celestial bodies will crash on the Earth. In a nutshell, Earth would entirely be a different place to live. It would no longer be liveable.

So, let’s hope that this would never happen so that we would continuously be able to live on our dearest planet Earth with our beautiful night out partner… Moon.