1 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:11,160 Speaker 1: Hey, Daniel, what's your favorite thing about looking at the 2 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: night Scott? You know, I should probably say something inspirational 3 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:17,840 Speaker 1: about physics, etcetera. But honestly, being a family man, my 4 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 1: favorite thing is that it means my kids are probably asleep. 5 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:24,520 Speaker 1: That's what the night sky means to you, that they're 6 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 1: safely touch dead exactly? Or do you mean actually asleep? 7 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:30,160 Speaker 1: It's time for the adult portion of the day. That 8 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: sounds that's sounds kind of racing, trust me, in my 9 00:00:33,159 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 1: evening is not that exciting. But do you mean like 10 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 1: they're in bed or they're just sleep or what makes 11 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:40,920 Speaker 1: it calm? Well, they're in bed and they're quiet. That's 12 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:43,280 Speaker 1: all I really care about. Honestly, whether they're asleep or 13 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:45,839 Speaker 1: not is their business now. But seriously, let's say, like 14 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 1: you're leaving the night Skuy, what does it make you 15 00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:51,319 Speaker 1: think of as a physicist, as an explorer, as a 16 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 1: as a thinker. You know, it makes me think about vastness, 17 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 1: the hugeeness of space, of course, you know, but also 18 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:00,960 Speaker 1: like the vastness of time. I mean, you can see 19 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:03,600 Speaker 1: time in the sky, know what. I love that when 20 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 1: you look at the sky it's basically the same sky 21 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 1: the people have been looking at and wondering about. For 22 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:11,959 Speaker 1: as long as people have been looking and wondering, you know, 23 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 1: it hasn't changed that much. I have a question for you, 24 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 1: what if it wasn't? What if our night sky changed? 25 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:20,840 Speaker 1: We Well, that'd be amazing. But as long as my 26 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:23,200 Speaker 1: kids stay in bed and stay quiet, I'd be cool 27 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:41,560 Speaker 1: with it. Hi am or Hammet cartoonists and the creator 28 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:45,320 Speaker 1: of PhD comics. Hi. I'm Daniel. I'm a particle physicist, 29 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:47,880 Speaker 1: a parent, and someone who likes to look up at 30 00:01:47,920 --> 00:01:51,200 Speaker 1: the night sky and enjoy the quiet, vastness of space. 31 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:53,080 Speaker 1: And something we also share in comming is that we're 32 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 1: are the co authors of the book We Have No Idea, 33 00:01:55,720 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: a guide to the Unknown Universe. So if you are 34 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 1: wondering about it, we don't know what physicists I have 35 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:05,520 Speaker 1: no idea about in our great, big universe. Please check 36 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:07,040 Speaker 1: out that book. It's a lot of fun and it 37 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 1: features a lot of Jorges hilarious cartoons, so check it out. 38 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:14,400 Speaker 1: It's what neither a physicist nor a cartoonist knows about 39 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: the universe. It also features a lot of Daniel's hilarious physics, 40 00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:22,720 Speaker 1: so if you're into both hilarities, please check it up. 41 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:26,080 Speaker 1: But today, welcome to our podcast Daniel and Jorge Explain 42 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 1: the Universe, a production of I Heart Radio. That's right, 43 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 1: our podcast in which we think about all the things 44 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:33,400 Speaker 1: that are surrounding us, all the things up in the 45 00:02:33,440 --> 00:02:36,000 Speaker 1: sky and down here on Earth, and try to explain 46 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:37,680 Speaker 1: them to you in a way that makes you laugh 47 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:41,680 Speaker 1: and hopefully illuminates your understanding of the world around us. Yeah, 48 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:45,480 Speaker 1: and we also think about the big what if questions 49 00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 1: in the universe, or if we can't use what if 50 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 1: because it's copyrighted by Random Monroe of XKCB, we also 51 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 1: tackle the what would happen is of the universe. We 52 00:02:55,880 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 1: consider ourselves sort of breeding ground for the next generation 53 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:02,960 Speaker 1: of disaster movies by Michael Bay. You've done the Huge Shark, 54 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:08,079 Speaker 1: You've done the Crazy Storm. What's next, the big Asteroid? 55 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 1: That's right, he's done that already, So we are just 56 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:14,000 Speaker 1: generating ideas for the next summer blockbuster. I think it's 57 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,119 Speaker 1: something a lot of people maybe wonder about out there. 58 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:19,560 Speaker 1: You know, what could be the next huge thing that 59 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:23,239 Speaker 1: could happen in this crazy, chaotic universe that might affect 60 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:25,240 Speaker 1: my life? And you don't have to speculate. I know 61 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 1: the people out there wonder because they write to us 62 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:30,960 Speaker 1: about it. We get emails people asking us. For example, 63 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 1: we did an episode recently about what would happen if 64 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 1: the Sun became a black hole? That's an honest question 65 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 1: that a bunch of people wrote in. People wonder about 66 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 1: these things. It's on people's minds. You know, things around 67 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:45,080 Speaker 1: us seems stable, but what if something happened? And so 68 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 1: this might be another one in our series of what 69 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:50,600 Speaker 1: would happen if and so to be on the podcast, 70 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:58,360 Speaker 1: we are going to be answering the question what would 71 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: happen if the Earth lost its moon? Goodbye, mone, goodnight Moon. 72 00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 1: That's right, although these days, you know you have to 73 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:08,600 Speaker 1: say not to say good night to the moon. You 74 00:04:08,640 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: have to say good night to the moon. And it's 75 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:15,200 Speaker 1: first colonizers by the Chinese. What do you mean there 76 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:19,000 Speaker 1: are living things on the moon now because of us? Yes? Uh. 77 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:23,720 Speaker 1: The Israeli's crash landed a probe on the moon, and 78 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 1: on that probe we're tarte grades, little water bears, and 79 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:33,120 Speaker 1: so now we are just awaiting our lunar overlords, the 80 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:39,360 Speaker 1: coming of the Tartar Grade civilization. Oh my god, what 81 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: a disaster, you know, I know, So be careful with 82 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:47,000 Speaker 1: your science, folks, you may accidentally seed a new civilization 83 00:04:47,040 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 1: which destroys ours. Oh my good and Tarti grades are 84 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:53,599 Speaker 1: super scary. Oh they're so cute. We're gonna do an 85 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 1: episode about Tartar grades in the next few weeks, so 86 00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:58,280 Speaker 1: tune in for that one. But to think about it, 87 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:00,800 Speaker 1: as we talked about tonight, Remember the Moon is no 88 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:03,680 Speaker 1: longer a lifeless rock. It is now home to about 89 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:06,160 Speaker 1: a hundred little targegrades. Do you think they deserve their 90 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:09,160 Speaker 1: own country? I think Donald Trump will probably try to 91 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:13,040 Speaker 1: buy it. Yeah, Hey, if I can buy Greenland, why 92 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:16,360 Speaker 1: can't I buy the Moon. They'll flash a signed they'll 93 00:05:16,360 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 1: make a formation on the surface of the Moon saying 94 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:21,240 Speaker 1: we are not for We're not for sale exactly. But 95 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:23,240 Speaker 1: it's an interesting question. You know, the moon is a 96 00:05:23,279 --> 00:05:27,200 Speaker 1: big fixture in our lives, in our skies, in mythology, 97 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:30,720 Speaker 1: in romance. So what would happen sort to the human 98 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: psyche and to life on Earth if the Earth lost 99 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:37,160 Speaker 1: its moons. It's a totally reasonable question. And you're saying 100 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:39,760 Speaker 1: this was a listener question as well. Somebody some people 101 00:05:39,839 --> 00:05:42,680 Speaker 1: wrote this in yeah. Absolutely. People wrote this in and 102 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:44,400 Speaker 1: and wanted to know, And as soon as I read it, 103 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:47,039 Speaker 1: I thought that's a good question. I wonder how life 104 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:49,520 Speaker 1: would change on the on the surface of the Earth 105 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:51,080 Speaker 1: if we lost our moon. So I had to do 106 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:52,800 Speaker 1: some research. It was a lot of fun actually, so 107 00:05:52,839 --> 00:05:55,719 Speaker 1: thank you folks for reading in this questions in aside, Daniel, 108 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 1: I think that's the title of our third book, what 109 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:00,719 Speaker 1: would happen? What would happen? If? What would happen if 110 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:03,480 Speaker 1: a physicist and a cartoonists got paid to make three books? 111 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:08,400 Speaker 1: It would never happen. But I just wanted to get 112 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:10,360 Speaker 1: a review of our book from one of the hard 113 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:12,599 Speaker 1: grades on the moon. It's a life goal for me. 114 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:15,600 Speaker 1: So that's what we will be talking about today, is 115 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:18,880 Speaker 1: the question what would happen if the Earth lost its moon? 116 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:21,440 Speaker 1: Like if it suddenly disappeared, Daniel, or if it, you know, 117 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:23,920 Speaker 1: got knocked off and flew off or what do you 118 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 1: think they were thinking when they asked the question. I 119 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:28,760 Speaker 1: don't know. I read a book recently by Neil Stevenson. 120 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:30,800 Speaker 1: It's a great book. It's called Seven Eaves, in which 121 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:34,159 Speaker 1: is the moon is demolished and all the rubble rains 122 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:37,240 Speaker 1: down on Earth. That's pretty bad scenario. So it might 123 00:06:37,279 --> 00:06:39,240 Speaker 1: be that people are reading that book and wondering about it. 124 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:42,400 Speaker 1: Um or you know, just if the moon was like 125 00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:43,919 Speaker 1: flung out in the space and got hit by an 126 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:46,600 Speaker 1: aster and deflected. And there's lots of different scenarios, but 127 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:48,520 Speaker 1: we'll dig into all of them. Wasn't that also a 128 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: plot point in Avengers in Finny War, like Thanos reaches 129 00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:53,800 Speaker 1: out and he grabs a moon and he brings it 130 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:57,400 Speaker 1: down on the Avengers. I do watch these movies, but 131 00:06:57,440 --> 00:06:59,320 Speaker 1: they're like seventeen hours long, so I don't remember every 132 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:03,000 Speaker 1: plot point. But that's a pretty interesting question. And I 133 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:05,440 Speaker 1: imagine people think a lot of things would happen, or 134 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:09,120 Speaker 1: maybe nothing would happen. Yeah. So, actually, before I didn't research, 135 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:11,600 Speaker 1: before I even had an idea of my own, I 136 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:14,200 Speaker 1: went out and I asked folks what they thought would 137 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 1: happen if the Earth lost its moon? And where were 138 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:18,960 Speaker 1: you in the world when you ask these questions, or 139 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:22,000 Speaker 1: even on the way you were as I was crash 140 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:24,800 Speaker 1: landing on the Moon when I asked these questions. No, um, 141 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:27,800 Speaker 1: here these questions were answered in some combination of Heathrow 142 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:31,440 Speaker 1: Airport and random cities in Portugal. Cool. So think about 143 00:07:31,440 --> 00:07:33,440 Speaker 1: it for a second. What do you think would happen 144 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:36,240 Speaker 1: if the Earth lost its moon? Here's what people had 145 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:40,440 Speaker 1: to say. We wouldn't have moonlight. Well, I guess the 146 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 1: tides would be out of balance and we should have 147 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:49,680 Speaker 1: floods coming. Yeah, because the whole stability of the whole 148 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:53,840 Speaker 1: system will fail, and then the Earth will lose the 149 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:58,000 Speaker 1: momentum and the oceans will I don't know what, but 150 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:01,440 Speaker 1: it's not possible to life on Earth without the moon. 151 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 1: Life on Earth could theoretically survive. It is possible we 152 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:10,440 Speaker 1: could survive without a moon. However, climates would be much 153 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:15,840 Speaker 1: more unstable. I think it wouldn't be too bad for 154 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,480 Speaker 1: life on Earth except for those title creatures. Does the 155 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:23,320 Speaker 1: moon impact our seasonal change? No, I don't think so, 156 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:26,920 Speaker 1: although at nighttime it does make the evening flowers blue. 157 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:32,800 Speaker 1: All right, it seems like only bad things would happen. 158 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:36,840 Speaker 1: That's what people guessed. But he said, like, great, I 159 00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:40,120 Speaker 1: hate the moon, Good riddance. Yeah, that's true. The moon 160 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 1: has a good good Um, it's pretty favorable. I guess. 161 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:45,640 Speaker 1: I wonder if people ever do surveys like rate the 162 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:50,040 Speaker 1: favorability or unfavorability of astronomical objects. What's the most popular 163 00:08:50,040 --> 00:08:53,400 Speaker 1: place to vote for this candidate or for the moon? 164 00:08:53,600 --> 00:08:55,920 Speaker 1: Who would you want to be as your president? But 165 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:58,400 Speaker 1: what do you think is the most popular astronomical object? 166 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:00,200 Speaker 1: But if you ask people like which object and this 167 00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:03,200 Speaker 1: guy would you delete if you had to delete one? 168 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:07,320 Speaker 1: Because which is the least popular aspect of object? Least popular? 169 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:12,600 Speaker 1: It's like those surveys online like what's your most popular 170 00:09:12,840 --> 00:09:15,280 Speaker 1: movie that you love or the most popular movie that 171 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:17,840 Speaker 1: you hate? Yeah? Which all so writing folks, and let 172 00:09:17,920 --> 00:09:21,559 Speaker 1: us know which astronomical object do you love to hate? Pluto? 173 00:09:21,679 --> 00:09:27,520 Speaker 1: Probably poor Pluto? Um, but yeah, people people mostly said 174 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:29,880 Speaker 1: negative things would happen, right, nobody would be happy if 175 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:31,920 Speaker 1: the moon went away. And there's a big spectrum of 176 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:34,679 Speaker 1: possible outcomes here, Like the person who said we wouldn't 177 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:38,719 Speaker 1: have moonlight, like that's a disaster. You always like the 178 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:42,280 Speaker 1: technical answers, the trivial technical answers, Right, Well, if we 179 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:46,160 Speaker 1: didn't have a moon, we wouldn't have a moonlight. Technically true, yes, 180 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:49,720 Speaker 1: but do you think he meant that more like romantically? 181 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:52,679 Speaker 1: That like romance would be affected on Earth if there 182 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:55,160 Speaker 1: was no moonlight. It probably would be. Yeah, they'd probably 183 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:58,719 Speaker 1: be a different cycle of of conception and birth if 184 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 1: there wasn't a moonlight icon um. But yeah, that's a 185 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:05,000 Speaker 1: great question. We'll be talking about what would happen physically, right, 186 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:09,320 Speaker 1: not necessarily biologically or romantically, but kind of like, how 187 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:11,720 Speaker 1: would the physics of our everyday life change if the 188 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:15,120 Speaker 1: Moon suddenly disappeared? Well, Daniel, let's step through it first. 189 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:17,760 Speaker 1: First of all, could it happen, Like, could our moon 190 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:21,560 Speaker 1: just disappear or move away or float away? There are 191 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:24,040 Speaker 1: lots of ways that we could lose our moon, right, um. 192 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:27,120 Speaker 1: Number one, if something hits the Moon, you know, really 193 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:30,120 Speaker 1: big asteroid or something. The Moon is an orbit around 194 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:32,439 Speaker 1: the Earth, but that's a little bit delicate, right. It's stable, 195 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:35,280 Speaker 1: but if it gets knocked out of orbit, it's pretty 196 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:37,720 Speaker 1: tough to get back into orbit. So yeah, you could 197 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:40,040 Speaker 1: get deflected. You mean, like an orbit is a very 198 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:43,160 Speaker 1: delicate thing, right, Like it's something that you could easily 199 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:46,080 Speaker 1: fly away or crashing into the planet if you disturb 200 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:49,280 Speaker 1: the orbit. Yeah, exactly, of all the possible trajectories around 201 00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:52,000 Speaker 1: the planet, there's a very tiny fraction them that are 202 00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:55,240 Speaker 1: a stable orbit, right, And so you change your trajectory, 203 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:57,920 Speaker 1: and you know, pretty sure soon you're sling shotting around 204 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:00,360 Speaker 1: the planet and then off into space or something. But 205 00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:02,120 Speaker 1: you know, the Moon is hit all the time, that's 206 00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:04,800 Speaker 1: why it's covered in craters. Usually it's just hit by 207 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 1: a little rock and it doesn't change its motion significantly. 208 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:09,720 Speaker 1: But there are bigger rocks out there, and if one 209 00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:11,720 Speaker 1: of them hit the Moon, then it could get deflected 210 00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:13,880 Speaker 1: into outer space. Sure, how big do you think it 211 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:17,160 Speaker 1: would of a rock would it take to knock the 212 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:19,960 Speaker 1: Moon out of orbit? I haven't done any calculations, but 213 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:21,640 Speaker 1: you know, I think it has to be pretty substantial. 214 00:11:21,679 --> 00:11:24,360 Speaker 1: You know, you're talking something like, you know, hundreds of 215 00:11:24,400 --> 00:11:27,160 Speaker 1: meters wide are really a really pretty big solid rock. 216 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:29,800 Speaker 1: And we're sort of I heard also we're kind of 217 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:32,800 Speaker 1: losing the Moon anyways, Like the Moon doesn't want to 218 00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:36,880 Speaker 1: be around really, it's sort of edging slowly for another 219 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:42,959 Speaker 1: planet in a way out of the party. They're like, 220 00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:46,720 Speaker 1: all right, you guys are kind of crazy. I am 221 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:51,600 Speaker 1: gonna slowly move over to Mars because yeah, there's a 222 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:54,640 Speaker 1: good party going on on Venus. So see you later. 223 00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:57,760 Speaker 1: Text you. Um, No, we're losing the Moon. It's not 224 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:02,160 Speaker 1: actually in a totally stable orbit. It's getting further away 225 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:04,600 Speaker 1: every year, but just by a tiny amount, just by 226 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:07,240 Speaker 1: a few centimeters. I looked it up. It's about four 227 00:12:07,280 --> 00:12:09,760 Speaker 1: centimeters per year. And that's just the way it is. 228 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:12,760 Speaker 1: It's it's like in an orbit that is not stable. 229 00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:15,760 Speaker 1: It's not in an orbit that self corrects or stays 230 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:18,559 Speaker 1: in its lane the whole time. It's like in a 231 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:21,000 Speaker 1: spiral outward away from the Earth. That's right. And you 232 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:22,839 Speaker 1: have to remember that the Earth and the Moon are 233 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:26,280 Speaker 1: a system, right. They're both orbiting the center of mass 234 00:12:26,559 --> 00:12:28,800 Speaker 1: of the Earth of the Moon. Like imagine if the 235 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:31,360 Speaker 1: Moon and the Earth at the same mass, then their 236 00:12:31,400 --> 00:12:34,280 Speaker 1: center of mass would be between them, literally, and they 237 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:37,360 Speaker 1: would both be moving around that point. But they're not 238 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:39,440 Speaker 1: the same mass. The Earth is much much heavier than 239 00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:41,440 Speaker 1: the Moon, and so the center of mass of the 240 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:43,719 Speaker 1: two is closer to the center of the Earth. So 241 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:46,360 Speaker 1: but the two are really orbiting this point that's a 242 00:12:46,400 --> 00:12:49,080 Speaker 1: slightly offset from the center of the Earth. And they're 243 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:52,040 Speaker 1: both spinning. So it's a big complicated system and energy 244 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:54,640 Speaker 1: is moving from one part of it to another, and 245 00:12:54,679 --> 00:12:59,520 Speaker 1: so the Moon's rotation gets further out right. Um, But 246 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:02,840 Speaker 1: that all so means it gets more angular momentum. So 247 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:05,960 Speaker 1: the angle momentum has to come from somewhere. So as 248 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:09,240 Speaker 1: the Moon get drifts away, the Earth actually slows down 249 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:11,680 Speaker 1: a little bit. I mean the days get longer. Yeah, 250 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:14,720 Speaker 1: it's complicated, it's complicated, and so this you know, this 251 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:17,320 Speaker 1: whole system is not entirely stable, but it's a little 252 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:20,160 Speaker 1: bit stable. It actually turns out it's more stable. You 253 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:22,880 Speaker 1: get fewer fluctuations. We'll talk about it more in depth later, 254 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:25,640 Speaker 1: but it plays a big role in keeping the Earth 255 00:13:25,679 --> 00:13:28,600 Speaker 1: in a sort of a stable rotation and and spin. 256 00:13:28,920 --> 00:13:30,800 Speaker 1: I have been feeling like that are my days are 257 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:34,640 Speaker 1: are getting longer? You know, I just don't have the 258 00:13:34,679 --> 00:13:36,640 Speaker 1: same energy I had before when I was younger. I 259 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:39,400 Speaker 1: don't know why you need more bananas. Most people feel 260 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:42,000 Speaker 1: like as they get older, the days just fly by. 261 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:44,319 Speaker 1: So that's one way the Moon could disappear. It could 262 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:48,400 Speaker 1: literally get knocked off course and fly away, or it 263 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:51,040 Speaker 1: is sort of slowly moving away. What are some other 264 00:13:51,080 --> 00:13:53,199 Speaker 1: ways of the moon we could lose the moon? Well, 265 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:55,320 Speaker 1: the most catastrophic would be if it got hit by 266 00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:57,880 Speaker 1: a rock and it didn't get deflected into space, but 267 00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:00,680 Speaker 1: it got like broken up the Moon and is is 268 00:14:00,679 --> 00:14:02,520 Speaker 1: you know, not as like strong as the Earth is 269 00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:05,400 Speaker 1: size well held together. It's more of a pile of 270 00:14:05,480 --> 00:14:07,920 Speaker 1: rubble than the Earth is because it doesn't have like 271 00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:11,079 Speaker 1: inner magma and all that stuff, and so it could 272 00:14:11,200 --> 00:14:14,040 Speaker 1: get broken up. And that's exactly what happens in that 273 00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:17,079 Speaker 1: novel we were talking about earlier, seven Eves. Neil Stevenson 274 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:20,200 Speaker 1: does like fantastic research for his novels. I've never found 275 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:21,840 Speaker 1: a physics mistake in any of them, and I read 276 00:14:21,840 --> 00:14:25,720 Speaker 1: them very carefully. And in that people at first were like, wow, cool, 277 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:28,880 Speaker 1: Look the Moon is exploding and there's all these shooting stars. 278 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:31,200 Speaker 1: But then quickly they realized, oh, this is just a 279 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:33,720 Speaker 1: bunch of rocks raining down on the Earth, and that's 280 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:37,360 Speaker 1: not good. The Moon turned into shooting stars and all 281 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:38,840 Speaker 1: that rained down on the Earth, it would heat of 282 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:41,880 Speaker 1: the atmosphere and a lot of those pieces would land, 283 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:44,080 Speaker 1: and you know, it's like getting hit by a by 284 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:47,520 Speaker 1: a planet killer. Would it necessarily crash into Earth? Like 285 00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:50,880 Speaker 1: wouldn't like if the Moon cracked into two, wouldn't necessarily 286 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:53,440 Speaker 1: crash down? Or would the two houses keep going around 287 00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:55,280 Speaker 1: the same orbit. It depends a lot on how the 288 00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:58,640 Speaker 1: cracking happens. If you like exactly cracking in place, then yeah, 289 00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:01,560 Speaker 1: they could keep orbiting just sort of cracked. But if 290 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:04,000 Speaker 1: it's a big collision, then some of it's going to 291 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:06,240 Speaker 1: get blown out into space, and some of it's gonna 292 00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:08,880 Speaker 1: turn into a ring around the Earth because some of 293 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:10,760 Speaker 1: it will find a stable orbit, but a lot of 294 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:12,840 Speaker 1: it will just fall into the gravity well of Earth 295 00:15:12,920 --> 00:15:15,120 Speaker 1: and land on Earth and kill a bunch of people. 296 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:18,080 Speaker 1: So not a happy scenario. So don't shoot the moon. 297 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:20,600 Speaker 1: Don't shoot the moon. That's right. Then shoot for the 298 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:23,840 Speaker 1: moon or add the moon. Unless you're playing hard, you're 299 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:25,800 Speaker 1: welcome to shoot the moon, but if you are in 300 00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:29,240 Speaker 1: possession of a moon busting rocket, please do not shoot 301 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:32,600 Speaker 1: the moon. Alright, So it could maybe happen, And so 302 00:15:32,680 --> 00:15:36,320 Speaker 1: let's dig into what would happen if the Moon disappeared, 303 00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:39,640 Speaker 1: either by some physical process or just in our imaginations, 304 00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:42,880 Speaker 1: if somebody snapped their finger and their moon just disappeared. 305 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:45,480 Speaker 1: What would happen to us here on Earth? But first 306 00:15:45,560 --> 00:16:00,320 Speaker 1: let's take a quick break, all right, Daniel, we're talking 307 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:03,760 Speaker 1: about what would happened of the moon disappeared, and from 308 00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:06,240 Speaker 1: a physics point of view, what would happen to the 309 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:11,600 Speaker 1: Earth if the Moon suddenly flew away or suddenly, um, 310 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:14,880 Speaker 1: I don't know, collapse, if the masters of the simulation 311 00:16:14,960 --> 00:16:18,720 Speaker 1: just deleted it somehow. Yeah. Well, one of the most 312 00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:21,840 Speaker 1: immediate things the effects of the Moon on life on Earth, 313 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:24,600 Speaker 1: of course, is it's gravity. Right. The Moon is a 314 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:27,400 Speaker 1: big ball of stuff and it has gravity, and that 315 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:30,120 Speaker 1: gravity pulls on the Earth, and it's a lot of 316 00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:33,080 Speaker 1: people probably know that Moon causes tides on the Earth 317 00:16:33,120 --> 00:16:36,440 Speaker 1: because it's pulling on the water that's on the Earth, 318 00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:39,320 Speaker 1: and it's literally lifting it up a little bit off 319 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:43,240 Speaker 1: the surface, like sucking up the water up right. Yeah, exactly. 320 00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:46,320 Speaker 1: Remember how gravity works, It depends on the distance, right, 321 00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:49,080 Speaker 1: So the closer you are to the Moon, the stronger 322 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:51,640 Speaker 1: the force of the Moon on you, and so on 323 00:16:51,680 --> 00:16:54,080 Speaker 1: the close side of the Earth, right, things are getting 324 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:55,880 Speaker 1: pulled harder than on the far side of the Earth. 325 00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:59,480 Speaker 1: What happens is that every object ends up becoming sort 326 00:16:59,520 --> 00:17:02,680 Speaker 1: of not spherical, but look more like an ellipse al, right, 327 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:05,480 Speaker 1: where the stuff that's on the closer side gets pulled up, 328 00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:07,679 Speaker 1: you know, to be closer, and the stuff that's on 329 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:10,760 Speaker 1: the farther side isn't getting pulled as hard, and so 330 00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:14,200 Speaker 1: it stretches out sort of long ways that way, so 331 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:17,359 Speaker 1: the Earth, instead of being a sphere, becomes a little obloid, 332 00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:20,160 Speaker 1: both closer to the Moon and away from the Moon. 333 00:17:20,600 --> 00:17:22,920 Speaker 1: That's where tides. That's where tides come from. Right, it's 334 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:26,040 Speaker 1: not it's not the because the moon is going around 335 00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:28,200 Speaker 1: the Earth or both both things are. And the reason 336 00:17:28,200 --> 00:17:30,480 Speaker 1: the tides change is because the Moon is going around 337 00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:33,760 Speaker 1: the Earth and the tides follow it. Right, And uh, 338 00:17:33,840 --> 00:17:36,480 Speaker 1: you know the reason it's the water is just because 339 00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:39,600 Speaker 1: water is easier to move than rock. Right. It does 340 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:42,720 Speaker 1: also slightly squeeze the Earth and change the shape of 341 00:17:42,720 --> 00:17:45,600 Speaker 1: the Earth, but that's a much smaller effect than just 342 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:48,359 Speaker 1: changing the levels of the ocean, because obviously water is 343 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:50,840 Speaker 1: much easier to squeeze than rock. I always wonder what 344 00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:53,800 Speaker 1: sort of actually happening when the tides go up and down, 345 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:56,560 Speaker 1: you know, like it's it's the moon pulling on the 346 00:17:56,600 --> 00:18:01,600 Speaker 1: water and so the water becomes less dense or you 347 00:18:01,600 --> 00:18:03,399 Speaker 1: know what I mean, Like how does it go up? 348 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:06,840 Speaker 1: It's more about where the water is on Earth. Right, 349 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:09,399 Speaker 1: the you have you have the huge ocean, and all 350 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:12,840 Speaker 1: the oceans are basically connected and sea level is not 351 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:15,960 Speaker 1: a constant all the way around the Earth. Right, Sea 352 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:18,080 Speaker 1: level is not the same distance from the center of 353 00:18:18,080 --> 00:18:21,480 Speaker 1: the Earth everywhere around the Earth. Because of the tides. 354 00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:24,960 Speaker 1: Some of the water is getting gathered together into a bigger, 355 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:28,080 Speaker 1: deeper pile on some places, and it's getting slurped up 356 00:18:28,119 --> 00:18:30,280 Speaker 1: from other places. So you get less water in the 357 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:33,200 Speaker 1: oceans on the sides and more water in the oceans 358 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:35,840 Speaker 1: on the moon side and on the opposite side. It's 359 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:39,320 Speaker 1: like it's recruiting water to where the Moon is. Yeah, exactly, 360 00:18:39,359 --> 00:18:41,680 Speaker 1: Like say you took all the water and you put 361 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:43,359 Speaker 1: it in the Pacific Ocean, all the water from all 362 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:45,760 Speaker 1: the other oceans, and put it in the Pacific Ocean. 363 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:48,480 Speaker 1: Obviously that ocean would be deeper and the other ones 364 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:51,600 Speaker 1: would be shallower. It's basically that on a much smaller scale. 365 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:54,280 Speaker 1: So it's not a density thing, no, like there's less 366 00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:56,840 Speaker 1: gravity or more. Yeah, but the water it's kind of cool, 367 00:18:56,880 --> 00:18:59,679 Speaker 1: like the Moon is lifting the water, right, it's like 368 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:03,720 Speaker 1: gathering the water together into a pile. Um. That's it's 369 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:05,840 Speaker 1: a real size, you know. It sort of blows my mind. 370 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:07,960 Speaker 1: The moon is big enough, given how far away it 371 00:19:08,040 --> 00:19:11,080 Speaker 1: is to actually like make piles of stuff on Earth 372 00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:13,240 Speaker 1: just due to its gravity. Yeah, that's true. I mean 373 00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:15,600 Speaker 1: it's a little circle in the sky and yet it's 374 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:20,280 Speaker 1: pulling a bunch of water into space. Yeah, it's a 375 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:22,840 Speaker 1: it's a big effect. And you know, people, um, some 376 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:28,200 Speaker 1: biologists give tides a big role in the development of life. Yeah, 377 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:30,680 Speaker 1: because one theory goes that, you know, in the sort 378 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:34,920 Speaker 1: of primordial soup rehabl these organic materials float around in oceans, 379 00:19:34,960 --> 00:19:37,360 Speaker 1: that the tidal regions are the best place for life 380 00:19:37,359 --> 00:19:40,679 Speaker 1: to start because the water is sort of mixing a lot, right, 381 00:19:40,680 --> 00:19:42,840 Speaker 1: you get the tides coming in and out, and you're 382 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:45,480 Speaker 1: getting a lot of waves and splashing, and you get 383 00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:48,480 Speaker 1: like periods, Yeah, a lot of churn exactly. And so 384 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:51,000 Speaker 1: I mean I think it's just speculation. I think people 385 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:54,000 Speaker 1: think that tides play a role in the development of life. 386 00:19:54,119 --> 00:19:55,400 Speaker 1: You know, we can't go back and do the other 387 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:58,399 Speaker 1: experiment like delete the moon, run the Earth simulation and 388 00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:01,080 Speaker 1: see if life takes long reach developed. But it's a 389 00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:03,720 Speaker 1: cool idea, right, I mean, like life wouldn't just develop 390 00:20:03,760 --> 00:20:06,439 Speaker 1: in a lake or a pond. Yeah, they sort of 391 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:09,120 Speaker 1: you need that sort of like motion to get things going. 392 00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:13,080 Speaker 1: And also they noticed that these brackish ecosystems where you 393 00:20:13,119 --> 00:20:15,600 Speaker 1: mix fresh and salt water and those get mixed due 394 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:18,159 Speaker 1: to tides, those that have the most diversity. And so 395 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:20,960 Speaker 1: I think that's another argument that the origin of life 396 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:23,280 Speaker 1: on Earth was affected by tides. All right, So if 397 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:26,560 Speaker 1: we didn't have the Moon, we wouldn't have ties, not quite. 398 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:29,240 Speaker 1: That's the fascinating thing is that you delete the Moon, 399 00:20:30,040 --> 00:20:33,760 Speaker 1: tides are not gone. They're just smaller. And the reason 400 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:38,800 Speaker 1: is that we also have tides because of the Sun. What, Yeah, 401 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:42,040 Speaker 1: the Sun. It makes perfect sense, right. The Sun is 402 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:46,200 Speaker 1: much further away but much much huger than the Moon, 403 00:20:46,359 --> 00:20:49,560 Speaker 1: and it also pulls on the Earth, obviously, and so 404 00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:52,680 Speaker 1: it pulls stuff closer to it more strongly and stuff 405 00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:55,320 Speaker 1: on the opposite side less strongly, and so it does 406 00:20:55,359 --> 00:20:57,920 Speaker 1: the same thing to the Earth's oceans that the Moon does, 407 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:00,919 Speaker 1: but of course in a slightly different angle. Right, So 408 00:21:00,960 --> 00:21:03,520 Speaker 1: you have the tides on Earth are complicated because you've 409 00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:06,240 Speaker 1: got the little tides from the Sun and you've got 410 00:21:06,240 --> 00:21:08,560 Speaker 1: the big tides from the Moon. And you know, that's 411 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:11,560 Speaker 1: why the tides sometimes are smaller than others. Wow, I 412 00:21:11,640 --> 00:21:14,760 Speaker 1: had no idea, and we thought about it before it's 413 00:21:14,800 --> 00:21:16,560 Speaker 1: I guess, you know, I guess the sun. It seems 414 00:21:16,560 --> 00:21:18,199 Speaker 1: so far away and so little in the sky, but 415 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:22,240 Speaker 1: it's really swinging the earth around like a slingshot, and 416 00:21:22,280 --> 00:21:24,800 Speaker 1: so some of them must affect the water on the surface. 417 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:27,960 Speaker 1: Absolutely does. So we would still have tides without the moon. 418 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:30,600 Speaker 1: We just wouldn't have as strong a tide, and the 419 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:33,439 Speaker 1: tides will be more regular because we have this complicated 420 00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:35,440 Speaker 1: two body effects where you have two different things with 421 00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:39,080 Speaker 1: two different periods, sometimes adding up to each other, sometimes 422 00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:42,480 Speaker 1: contradicting each other. Right, so we have more complicated tides 423 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:44,920 Speaker 1: and larger tides because we have the moon and the sun. 424 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:48,879 Speaker 1: So we would have smaller tides or like half as 425 00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:51,080 Speaker 1: much or like a tent. What do you think. I 426 00:21:51,119 --> 00:21:52,920 Speaker 1: think it's about a quarter. Yeah, I think the moon 427 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:55,280 Speaker 1: is the majority of the tides, but the sun is 428 00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:58,360 Speaker 1: a is a non negligible effect. So maybe we wouldn't 429 00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:00,359 Speaker 1: miss it in that way, or maybe life could have 430 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:04,359 Speaker 1: still developed without the moon. Yeah, probably probably. And the 431 00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:07,040 Speaker 1: moon and the tides have a lot of effect on 432 00:22:07,160 --> 00:22:09,960 Speaker 1: the atmosphere as well, right, not just the water, but 433 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:13,399 Speaker 1: it affects the tides and and the just the gravitational 434 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:15,760 Speaker 1: pull of the Moon. It squeezes the atmosphere and affects 435 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:19,640 Speaker 1: things like global currents and uh, and so you get 436 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:22,639 Speaker 1: a lot more mixing just in general in the atmosphere 437 00:22:22,680 --> 00:22:25,560 Speaker 1: because you have the Moon. And so people speculate that 438 00:22:25,560 --> 00:22:27,040 Speaker 1: if you didn't have the Moon, not only would you 439 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:29,960 Speaker 1: not have tides, you have different patterns of global currents 440 00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:32,679 Speaker 1: and you have stronger regional weather patterns because it wouldn't 441 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:35,440 Speaker 1: be as much sort of global mixing and evening out 442 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:37,719 Speaker 1: of stuff, all right, so it would affect the tides, 443 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:40,679 Speaker 1: but maybe not completely. And what else would happen if 444 00:22:40,680 --> 00:22:44,400 Speaker 1: the moon disappeared, Well, obviously we wouldn't have eclipses, right, 445 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:46,760 Speaker 1: Like you know, without the moon, you can't get the 446 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:49,399 Speaker 1: Moon's shadow on the Earth either kind of eclipse, like 447 00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:54,080 Speaker 1: a lunar eclipse. That's true, you need the moon for both. 448 00:22:54,280 --> 00:22:56,359 Speaker 1: And you might scoff at that, but you know, eclipses 449 00:22:56,400 --> 00:22:59,439 Speaker 1: are they're they're kind of amazing events. I had the 450 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:03,280 Speaker 1: opportunity to be in the full eclipse region for the 451 00:23:03,359 --> 00:23:07,200 Speaker 1: last one, and I was shocked at how how sort 452 00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:09,560 Speaker 1: of deeply spiritual event it was for me, somebody who's 453 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:12,240 Speaker 1: not really very spiritual at all. And I think that 454 00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:15,600 Speaker 1: eclipses in history have also inspired a lot of thinkers 455 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:19,760 Speaker 1: and and astronomers, early astronomers, and so I think, um, 456 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:22,119 Speaker 1: without having eclipses, we would have a bit of a 457 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:24,200 Speaker 1: different culture. Do you think it would have affected our 458 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:27,520 Speaker 1: scientific development? You know, like with having the moon there, 459 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:32,439 Speaker 1: God is thinking about planets and orbits and you know, 460 00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:36,400 Speaker 1: bodies and mass and motion, right, because didn't Newton sort 461 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:40,480 Speaker 1: of used the moon in his thinking about gravity. Absolutely, 462 00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:44,080 Speaker 1: I think it's vital because there's this incredible step in 463 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:48,959 Speaker 1: human history and physics that that Newton accomplished, connecting motion 464 00:23:49,000 --> 00:23:51,760 Speaker 1: of stuff on Earth to motion of stuff in the sky, right, 465 00:23:51,800 --> 00:23:54,280 Speaker 1: to say, maybe the same rules that apply here on 466 00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:57,160 Speaker 1: Earth also apply to stuff in the sky. And that's 467 00:23:57,200 --> 00:23:59,639 Speaker 1: a much easier leap to make if you can see 468 00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:02,880 Speaker 1: stuff in the sky that seems concrete, right, The stars 469 00:24:02,920 --> 00:24:04,959 Speaker 1: and all that stuff, they're just tiny dots. You have 470 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:07,639 Speaker 1: no idea that they're really things, or they're just lights 471 00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:10,439 Speaker 1: up in some some ceiling. But the moon looks like 472 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:13,840 Speaker 1: a thing, right, it looks like a big rock. It's immediate, 473 00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:16,280 Speaker 1: it's there, And so I think it's very helpful for 474 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:19,280 Speaker 1: early thinkers to understand that the stuff out there in 475 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:21,880 Speaker 1: the sky was just more like the stuff here on earth. 476 00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:24,560 Speaker 1: Maybe God's thinking that maybe this guy is not just 477 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:27,480 Speaker 1: a big canvas with pinpoints on them, right, Like, maybe 478 00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:30,760 Speaker 1: there are there are things out there and we and 479 00:24:30,840 --> 00:24:33,000 Speaker 1: we can understand them, right, they follow the rules that 480 00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:35,600 Speaker 1: we can figure out. That's an incredible moment in the 481 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:38,640 Speaker 1: history of like human intellectual thought, right, that we could 482 00:24:38,720 --> 00:24:43,479 Speaker 1: understand the cosmos all right, So no eclipses smaller tides. 483 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:47,040 Speaker 1: What else would happen if we said good night, Yeah, 484 00:24:47,119 --> 00:24:50,159 Speaker 1: well we would have darker nights. Right. The moon is 485 00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:52,320 Speaker 1: basically a big mirror for the sun, and so when 486 00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:53,800 Speaker 1: the sun is on the other side of the planet, 487 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:56,159 Speaker 1: the moon provides a little bit of reflection of the 488 00:24:56,160 --> 00:24:59,080 Speaker 1: Sun's light. And so you know, we've all been out 489 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:01,920 Speaker 1: on a on the night when you have a full 490 00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:04,560 Speaker 1: moon and it's much easier to see. And there's a 491 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:06,959 Speaker 1: lot of animals that rely on the moon. But it 492 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:09,800 Speaker 1: affects some animals in a good way and some in 493 00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:13,680 Speaker 1: a bad way. Right. Yeah. For example, some animals like owls, right, 494 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:16,000 Speaker 1: they hunt at night, right, and they use the moonlight. 495 00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:18,480 Speaker 1: They have very powerful eyes. But they need some light, 496 00:25:18,960 --> 00:25:21,640 Speaker 1: and so owls have to hunt by only starlight, then 497 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:23,600 Speaker 1: you know they're not going to find as many rats. 498 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:27,280 Speaker 1: And so conversely, getting rid of the moon would be 499 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:32,600 Speaker 1: good for rats because they've mostly come out at night 500 00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:35,640 Speaker 1: to find their food and their main predator is owls, 501 00:25:36,119 --> 00:25:38,399 Speaker 1: and so if it's darker than it's easier to scurry 502 00:25:38,440 --> 00:25:40,320 Speaker 1: along and you know, find that pizza on the on 503 00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:42,080 Speaker 1: the New York subway or whatever. So if you are 504 00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:44,520 Speaker 1: a pro rat, this would be a good thing. If 505 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:47,120 Speaker 1: your pro owls. You make that sound like pro rat 506 00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:51,639 Speaker 1: is impossible, I am pro rat, because no I am. 507 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:55,760 Speaker 1: You may not be aware, but we actually have rats 508 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:57,879 Speaker 1: as pets at home. Yeah, yeah, I think I remember. 509 00:25:58,280 --> 00:26:01,840 Speaker 1: So rats are very sweet, very purpose We got them 510 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:07,480 Speaker 1: on purpose. Yes, um, they're very sweet, very intelligent, very loving, 511 00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:10,399 Speaker 1: very smart little creatures. Actually, all right, so you're in 512 00:26:10,440 --> 00:26:14,520 Speaker 1: the pro And also because while the moon played some 513 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:16,880 Speaker 1: role in, you know, helping us think about the cosmos, 514 00:26:17,320 --> 00:26:20,000 Speaker 1: it's actually kind of annoying from an astronomical point of 515 00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:23,960 Speaker 1: view because you can ruin a nice dark night, which 516 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:27,320 Speaker 1: is you couldn't You can't see the stars very well. Yeah, 517 00:26:27,359 --> 00:26:29,359 Speaker 1: like I've gone camping sometimes, and one of my favorite 518 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:31,280 Speaker 1: things by camping, he's getting to look up at the 519 00:26:31,359 --> 00:26:34,200 Speaker 1: night sky and seeing a really dark night, because it's 520 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:36,920 Speaker 1: incredible how many stars are out there, right, And most 521 00:26:36,920 --> 00:26:39,000 Speaker 1: people who live in big cities, they have no idea 522 00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:41,200 Speaker 1: how many stars are visible in the night sky. But 523 00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:43,119 Speaker 1: when you go out in the middle of nowhere and 524 00:26:43,119 --> 00:26:45,000 Speaker 1: you're far from everything and you can finally see the 525 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:47,640 Speaker 1: Milky Way in all of its beautiful glory. But then 526 00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:50,240 Speaker 1: there's the moon and all you can see is the 527 00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:53,919 Speaker 1: moon and nothing else, you know, watching it exactly, and 528 00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:58,919 Speaker 1: so us for romantic physicists, it's beautiful. No, you're right. 529 00:26:58,960 --> 00:27:01,119 Speaker 1: I was just a cat thing the other day, and 530 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:03,880 Speaker 1: you know, I remember looking up and seeing the milk 531 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:07,280 Speaker 1: away and it was amazing, and my kids were super impressed. 532 00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:09,639 Speaker 1: I hadn't thought about it back then, but you're right. 533 00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:11,679 Speaker 1: I think it was a moonless night, and if the 534 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:13,800 Speaker 1: moon happened out, we we wouldn't have seen these things. 535 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:18,280 Speaker 1: All right. Let's get into what else would happen if 536 00:27:18,320 --> 00:27:20,840 Speaker 1: we lost the moon, And this one is a little 537 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:23,879 Speaker 1: bit more serious. I have to say it would actually 538 00:27:23,920 --> 00:27:27,080 Speaker 1: affect you on a daily basis. But first let's take 539 00:27:27,119 --> 00:27:41,520 Speaker 1: a quick break, all right. We're talking about what would 540 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:45,040 Speaker 1: happen if the moon disappeared, and we've talked about smaller tides, 541 00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:48,639 Speaker 1: no eclipses, which would be a bummer for poets and 542 00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:54,680 Speaker 1: um ancient civilizations perhaps, and darker nights. But there is 543 00:27:54,720 --> 00:27:59,520 Speaker 1: sort of a serious consequence to having no moon, right, yeah, exactly. 544 00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:02,160 Speaker 1: This is a bit of speculation based on modeling people 545 00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:05,600 Speaker 1: have done, But it seems like having a moon plays 546 00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:09,960 Speaker 1: a big role in the Earth's rotation and in its tilt. Right, 547 00:28:09,960 --> 00:28:12,879 Speaker 1: So the Earth spins around once a day, but it's 548 00:28:12,920 --> 00:28:15,320 Speaker 1: also tilted off of its axis, right, which is why 549 00:28:15,359 --> 00:28:18,159 Speaker 1: we have seasons. Like sometimes you're tilted a little bit 550 00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:20,240 Speaker 1: closer to the sun, sometimes you tilt a little further 551 00:28:20,320 --> 00:28:23,800 Speaker 1: from the Sun. And so the Earth's rotation controls the 552 00:28:23,880 --> 00:28:26,560 Speaker 1: length of the day, and it's tilt controls the the 553 00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:30,320 Speaker 1: magnitude of our seasons. And as we were talking about before, 554 00:28:30,359 --> 00:28:32,719 Speaker 1: the Earth and the moon are part of a complicated 555 00:28:32,800 --> 00:28:36,800 Speaker 1: system of anglar momentum, and and it seems like having 556 00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:40,360 Speaker 1: a moon makes the Earth's situation a little bit more stable. 557 00:28:41,280 --> 00:28:44,320 Speaker 1: Like planets without a moon, it's easier for their tilt 558 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:47,680 Speaker 1: to change, like we could the way we're spinning around 559 00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:51,600 Speaker 1: in place, not just around the Sun, could change, like 560 00:28:51,640 --> 00:28:54,880 Speaker 1: we could tilt more towards the Sun or away from this. Yeah, exactly. 561 00:28:55,120 --> 00:28:58,560 Speaker 1: We're more susceptible, for example, being struck by rocks or 562 00:28:59,040 --> 00:29:01,080 Speaker 1: this kind of stuff. And the only way we could 563 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:04,520 Speaker 1: absorb the angular momentum of some like impact or something 564 00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:07,160 Speaker 1: would be by the Earth changing its tilt or changing 565 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:09,880 Speaker 1: its rotation speed. But if you have a moon, you 566 00:29:09,920 --> 00:29:12,000 Speaker 1: have a more complicated system that can absorb it in 567 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:15,760 Speaker 1: other ways. And so you know, if it's some big buffer, 568 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:18,520 Speaker 1: it's like a gravitational buffer. Yeah exactly, it's like a 569 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:21,160 Speaker 1: gravitational buffer, and you can dump some of that stuff 570 00:29:21,160 --> 00:29:23,240 Speaker 1: into the moon, like well, make the moon spin faster 571 00:29:23,360 --> 00:29:25,480 Speaker 1: or make the Moon go around a little faster or whatever, 572 00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:29,520 Speaker 1: and so without affecting that. Yeah, And so it seems 573 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:31,440 Speaker 1: like having a moon makes the whole system a little 574 00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:33,920 Speaker 1: bit more stable for the Earth. So you know, we 575 00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:36,000 Speaker 1: could end up like if we lost our moon, we 576 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:38,480 Speaker 1: could end up in a situation where we have no tilt, right, 577 00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:41,400 Speaker 1: which means we have like no seasons, right, because the 578 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:44,440 Speaker 1: tilt is what gives you seasons, right, yeah, exactly. The 579 00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:47,959 Speaker 1: tilt of the Earth relative to the Sun means sometimes 580 00:29:49,000 --> 00:29:51,120 Speaker 1: the people in the north are closer to the Sun, 581 00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:53,920 Speaker 1: and sometimes means they're further away from the Sun. Right, Yeah, 582 00:29:54,040 --> 00:29:55,760 Speaker 1: So if we lost our moon, we'd lose a bit 583 00:29:55,760 --> 00:29:59,239 Speaker 1: of our gravitational angle momentum buffer, and we'd be more 584 00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:01,800 Speaker 1: susceptible to some of these big changes, which could have 585 00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:05,040 Speaker 1: like obviously huge effects on the climate and survivability of 586 00:30:05,040 --> 00:30:08,480 Speaker 1: the Earth, well beyond whether rats can get gobbled up 587 00:30:08,520 --> 00:30:11,480 Speaker 1: by owls or whether or not Jorge can see the 588 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:14,400 Speaker 1: Milky Way on his camping trip. There will be no seasons, 589 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:17,760 Speaker 1: or there could be crazy extreme seasons, which and maybe 590 00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:20,320 Speaker 1: that those kinds of things wouldn't support light, right, it 591 00:30:20,400 --> 00:30:23,600 Speaker 1: would be Um, it would be a big deal. Yeah, 592 00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:27,200 Speaker 1: all right, Daniel, So, um, those are all pretty cool. Um, 593 00:30:27,640 --> 00:30:29,720 Speaker 1: but I'm a little bit worried now should I be worried? 594 00:30:29,840 --> 00:30:32,280 Speaker 1: Is the moon going to be going away anytime soon? 595 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:35,040 Speaker 1: All these things are fun to think about, you know, 596 00:30:35,240 --> 00:30:38,000 Speaker 1: interesting to sort of probe the physics of the situation, 597 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:40,960 Speaker 1: But none of these things are very likely to happen. Right, 598 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:43,880 Speaker 1: We've been watching the skies for a long time. We're 599 00:30:43,880 --> 00:30:46,920 Speaker 1: pretty sure that there are no big rocks headed for 600 00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:50,000 Speaker 1: us that are likely to obliterate the Moon. It would 601 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:52,800 Speaker 1: be pretty surprising if that happened. As long as we 602 00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:55,680 Speaker 1: are friendly to the programmers who run the stimulation and 603 00:30:55,720 --> 00:30:58,640 Speaker 1: they don't just decide to delete the Moon from our existence, 604 00:30:59,040 --> 00:31:01,000 Speaker 1: then I think we can on having the Moon for 605 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:03,840 Speaker 1: you know, a lot longer. In fact, I was thinking 606 00:31:03,880 --> 00:31:05,880 Speaker 1: it would be kind of a best case scenario. Actually, 607 00:31:05,880 --> 00:31:08,440 Speaker 1: if like an asteroid hits the Moon and knocks it 608 00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:10,760 Speaker 1: out of orbit, that's like a good thing because it 609 00:31:10,760 --> 00:31:13,760 Speaker 1: means that then it hit hit up exactly exactly. We 610 00:31:13,920 --> 00:31:16,440 Speaker 1: sort of use up our buffer on that one asteroid 611 00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:19,320 Speaker 1: and we'd be totally vulnerable to the next one. Be 612 00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:21,680 Speaker 1: like those movies where the bullet it is headed is 613 00:31:21,680 --> 00:31:24,960 Speaker 1: headed towards you, but then somebody runs in and inters, 614 00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:28,160 Speaker 1: that's right exactly, and you lose that person, but at 615 00:31:28,240 --> 00:31:30,200 Speaker 1: least you didn't get shot the target. Greats are like, 616 00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:36,360 Speaker 1: we'll save you, that's right. So maybe thanks to the 617 00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:43,280 Speaker 1: Israelis for founding the lunar colony. Cool. But I'd imagine 618 00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:47,080 Speaker 1: also that even if we lost the Moon through whatever reason, 619 00:31:48,200 --> 00:31:50,960 Speaker 1: it doesn't sound like immediate death for us. You know, 620 00:31:51,240 --> 00:31:54,960 Speaker 1: it would mean changes in patterns and tides and seasons, 621 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:58,160 Speaker 1: but maybe not immediate like we're dead in the war. Yeah, 622 00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:00,520 Speaker 1: it would not be immediate death. We have some time 623 00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:03,280 Speaker 1: to adjust and you know, even if the earth seasons 624 00:32:03,320 --> 00:32:06,160 Speaker 1: get more dramatic, we'll figure it out. You know. Think 625 00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:09,400 Speaker 1: about the careful, considered way that we're dealing with climate 626 00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:11,840 Speaker 1: change right now. Doesn't that give you confidence that we'll 627 00:32:11,880 --> 00:32:16,840 Speaker 1: be able to handle something like that? Sarcasm, sarcasm, sarcasm, 628 00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:20,760 Speaker 1: that's what a sarcastic physicistm There you go. No, but 629 00:32:20,840 --> 00:32:23,840 Speaker 1: this is definitely solidly in the fun to think about 630 00:32:23,880 --> 00:32:27,000 Speaker 1: but not actually worry about category. All right, Well, so 631 00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:29,880 Speaker 1: if you're a rat lover you can rest at ease. 632 00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:34,240 Speaker 1: Then all those rats out there are no, wait, you 633 00:32:34,240 --> 00:32:38,480 Speaker 1: should be worried. You don't need to worry about. Sorry. 634 00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:41,040 Speaker 1: If you're a rat lover, then uh, I'm sorry. We 635 00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:42,880 Speaker 1: can can't get me any time. You know what, rats 636 00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:44,680 Speaker 1: are going to survive longer than we are, I think. 637 00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:47,200 Speaker 1: All right, thanks for tuning in, and thank you for 638 00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:50,040 Speaker 1: sending these fascinating questions. If you have a question about 639 00:32:50,040 --> 00:32:52,880 Speaker 1: a crazy hypothetical situation, you'd like us to work out 640 00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:55,960 Speaker 1: in details, send it to us at questions at Daniel 641 00:32:56,040 --> 00:32:58,400 Speaker 1: and Jorge dot com. So in the meantime, go out 642 00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:01,600 Speaker 1: there and look at the moon and appreciate its beauty 643 00:33:02,200 --> 00:33:04,760 Speaker 1: or its absence if you want to be at the stars. 644 00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:07,960 Speaker 1: And that's right and the Milky Way. Moons are something 645 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:10,120 Speaker 1: you never appreciate until you lose them. I hope you 646 00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:19,760 Speaker 1: enjoyed it, See you next time. If you still have 647 00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:23,200 Speaker 1: a question after listening to all these explanations, please drop 648 00:33:23,280 --> 00:33:25,320 Speaker 1: us a line. We'd love to hear from you. You 649 00:33:25,360 --> 00:33:28,800 Speaker 1: can find us at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at Daniel 650 00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:32,360 Speaker 1: and Jorge that's one word, or email us at Feedback 651 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:35,640 Speaker 1: at Daniel and Jorge dot com. Thanks for listening and 652 00:33:35,680 --> 00:33:38,360 Speaker 1: remember that Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe is a 653 00:33:38,440 --> 00:33:41,880 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio. For more podcast from my 654 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:45,560 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 655 00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:53,480 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Yeah