In the earliest days of civilization we knew nothing about the Moon. It was considered a god chasing the sun in an endless race across the sky. Today we know much more than the ancients. We can speculate how the Moon was formed and what the Earth would have been like without the Moon. It turns out that our Moon had a much bigger role in the development of life than anyone ever thought.
The Earth was only about 50 million years old when, according to the Giant Impact Theory, a planet the size of Mars struck the young Earth, sending massive amounts of material into orbit. For a while Earth was a ringed planet but eventually the material condensed into our Moon. Our moon has the largest relative size compared to its orbiting planet than any moon in the solar system. This makes the Moon unique and the effects were dramatic, to say the least.
The Moon was a mere 15 to 20 thousand miles away when it formed out of the debris left by the collision. It coalesced quickly, forming around 4.25 billion years ago. The Earth didn't even have its oceans which formed 3.8 billion years ago. During the time when Earth was a water world the moon was still very close; perhaps only 50 thousand miles away. The tidal effects were extreme with tides reaching thousands of feet high. The effect of these tidal waves was to slow the rotation of the Earth. A rotation of 6 hours per day eventually became 24 hours. We don't know exactly when this current speed was achieved but it probably made a difference on how life evolved.
Land masses grew as time went on and the moon moved further away, substantially subsiding the tidal effect. Still, the tides were relentless, stirring and mixing the materials for life with regularity. How and when life started remains a mystery but the Moon certainly played a role in any scientific answer.
Another aspect which allowed life to form was the stabilization of our rotation axis. The Earth is tilted on its axis 23.5 degrees and remains at that angle because of our moon. Without this stabilization the Earth could have tilted as much as 90 degrees. Each year the north pole would either point directly at the sun or receive no sunlight at all. Life might never have gotten a foothold if the climate exhibited such wide shifts like that.
Another benefit of having a large moon was to have a shield protecting the Earth from impacts. True, Earth has taken many hits which tested the breaking point of life but take one look at the moon and it becomes clear many major impacts were prevented. Any one of those impacts could have disrupted the chain of events which led to the formation of our species.
So the next time you gaze at the moon either with your telescope, binoculars or just looking up, remember that conditions would be very different on Earth without it. By slowing the Earth's rotation and stabilizing our rotation the moon gave us a mild and dependable climate perfect for life as we know it to thrive.
The Earth was only about 50 million years old when, according to the Giant Impact Theory, a planet the size of Mars struck the young Earth, sending massive amounts of material into orbit. For a while Earth was a ringed planet but eventually the material condensed into our Moon. Our moon has the largest relative size compared to its orbiting planet than any moon in the solar system. This makes the Moon unique and the effects were dramatic, to say the least.
The Moon was a mere 15 to 20 thousand miles away when it formed out of the debris left by the collision. It coalesced quickly, forming around 4.25 billion years ago. The Earth didn't even have its oceans which formed 3.8 billion years ago. During the time when Earth was a water world the moon was still very close; perhaps only 50 thousand miles away. The tidal effects were extreme with tides reaching thousands of feet high. The effect of these tidal waves was to slow the rotation of the Earth. A rotation of 6 hours per day eventually became 24 hours. We don't know exactly when this current speed was achieved but it probably made a difference on how life evolved.
Land masses grew as time went on and the moon moved further away, substantially subsiding the tidal effect. Still, the tides were relentless, stirring and mixing the materials for life with regularity. How and when life started remains a mystery but the Moon certainly played a role in any scientific answer.
Another aspect which allowed life to form was the stabilization of our rotation axis. The Earth is tilted on its axis 23.5 degrees and remains at that angle because of our moon. Without this stabilization the Earth could have tilted as much as 90 degrees. Each year the north pole would either point directly at the sun or receive no sunlight at all. Life might never have gotten a foothold if the climate exhibited such wide shifts like that.
Another benefit of having a large moon was to have a shield protecting the Earth from impacts. True, Earth has taken many hits which tested the breaking point of life but take one look at the moon and it becomes clear many major impacts were prevented. Any one of those impacts could have disrupted the chain of events which led to the formation of our species.
So the next time you gaze at the moon either with your telescope, binoculars or just looking up, remember that conditions would be very different on Earth without it. By slowing the Earth's rotation and stabilizing our rotation the moon gave us a mild and dependable climate perfect for life as we know it to thrive.