What If The Moon Gets Destroyed? 3 Possible Effects On Earth When The Moon Is Gone
Earth is not the only one at risk of being destroyed by a killer asteroid - moon, too. If this happens, what will happen to Earth? The planet will experience different events that will eventually affect life on it. So, what will be these events?
An earth and moon installation are reflected at the Enchanted Forest 2019 event Cosmos, an annual sound and light show, at Faskally Wood, Pitlochry, Scotland, Britain October 2, 2019. (Photo : REUTERS/Russell Cheyne)
Dozens of asteroids are flying past Earth every single day. Some of the asteroids come near the planet from millions of miles away, while others draw close within a distance equivalent to that of between the Earth and the moon. This only proves that, like Earth, there is a great chance for an asteroid to hit the moon.
If the moon gets hit by a huge asteroid, there will be a large explosion that can result in its destruction. Probably, there will be an immediate effect on Earth. So, what it could be?
Debris on Earth
According to Forbes, when the moon gets destroyed, its debris will fall on Earth. However, it may not be that hazardous anymore. If the moon blows, the debris will spread out in different directions. If the explosion is weak, there is a higher chance the debris will form into a new or more moon. But if it is strong, there will be nothing left.
The impact will create a ringed system around Earth, and the lunar fragments will de-orbit due to its atmosphere. The impact will never be as destructive as the asteroids or comets. Although the debris may come bigger than these near-earth objects, it will have lesser energy when it enters Earth.
No More Eclipses
For some obvious reason, there will be no longer eclipses when the moon is gone. Whether its solar, partial, total, or lunar eclipse, you can never witness this kind of natural phenomenon again. For an eclipse to happen, three objects need to be aligned: the sun, planet, and moon.
When the moon passes between the sun and the planet, it can either cast a shadow on the planet's surface called total eclipse, passes across the sun's surface called annular eclipse, or can conceal only a part of the sun's light called partial eclipse. So when the moon gets destroyed, nothing from these could happen again.
Unstable Axial Tilt
If the moon is gone, the axial tilt will become unstable, and it is not a good thing. As we all know, Earth spins on its axis, tilted at 23.4°, which is also called obliquity. Although you may think the moon has nothing to do with that, it is the one that works as its stabilizing force. The tilt changes from 22.1° to 24.5°. A planet like Mars, which has no moon, tilts its axis as much as ten times over time because it doesn't have anything to stabilize it.
So, if the Earth has no moon, its tilt could exceed 45° at times. Hence, the world may spin on its sides. The poles may turn from cold to hot, and the equator may become freezing at times. So without the moon to stabilize the Earth's axis, the ice age will possibility hit different parts of the world every a few thousand years.