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Saint
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Does moon have anything good to us, other than for ancient people to imagine a lot of myths about it!
Originally posted by Saint
Does moon have anything good to us, other than for ancient people to imagine a lot of myths about it!
Originally posted by Saint
Does moon have anything good to us, other than for ancient people to imagine a lot of myths about it!
Originally posted by selfAdjoint
The late John W. Campbell, onetime editor of Analog magazine, once had an editorial on the origin of life on earth. At that time scientists were having trouble with it because biotic molecules could easily form in the oceans but could just as easily dissolve again. So they postulated tide pools where the biotic-saturated water could be trapped and dry and allow the molecules to "set'.
Campbell, like quantumcarl, pointed out: no moon, no tide, no tide pools.
Originally posted by Janus
As far as tides go, the sun produces them also, just not as large.
If you needed larger tides for life to develop, you just need to orbit closer to the Sun. Of course, in order for your planet to remain in the temperate zone, it would then have to orbit a cooler star.
This could be advantageous to the propensity of life in the galaxy in a number of ways:
1: It wouldn't require a terrestrial type world to have an over-sized moon. (very likely a very extremely rare occurrence)
2: Cooler stars tend to be more numerous.
3: Cooler stars have longer lifetimes, giving more time for life to form and evolve.
Thus, it may be more common to find life around class K stars than class G ones ( We just might be the rare exception)
Of course, all this assumes that large tides are needed in the first place.
The moon's gravitational pull causes tides on Earth. As the moon orbits around our planet, it creates a bulge in the ocean on the side closest to it. This results in high tide. On the opposite side, there is also a bulge created by the moon's pull, resulting in low tide. The moon's gravity also affects the Earth's crust, causing tides in the land as well.
Yes, the moon's presence helps stabilize the Earth's axial tilt, which affects our climate. Without the moon, the Earth's tilt would vary greatly, resulting in extreme and unpredictable weather patterns.
While the moon itself does not directly sustain life on Earth, its presence has played a crucial role in the development and maintenance of life on our planet. The moon's gravitational pull helps stabilize the Earth's orbit, making it a habitable environment for living organisms.
The moon's orbit around the Earth is gradually increasing, but it is not expected to ever leave the Earth's orbit completely. However, it is possible that the moon may one day move far enough away from the Earth to no longer have a significant impact on our tides and climate.
The moon has also been a source of scientific research and exploration, providing valuable insights into the formation and history of our solar system. It also has potential for future resources such as helium-3, a rare isotope that could potentially be used as a clean energy source.