What if the Moon Didn’t Exist? - Livestream

The Moon is responsible for many phenomena on Earth, including the tides, the seasons, the length of the day, much of the early volcanic activity on Earth, and the weather patterns we experience today. Without the Moon, all these things would be different. Is it possible that our Moon would never have formed? Definitely. The Mars-sized object we believe crashed into the Earth and thereby formed the Moon could very easily have missed Earth if that body had formed with even a slightly different orbit than it actually had. By explaining the effects that the Moon has had, it will become clear what the Earth would be like if it had never existed.

Speaker: Neil Comins, University of Maine

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