1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey, 2 00:00:06,559 --> 00:00:09,719 Speaker 1: brain Stuff, I'm Lauren Vogelbaum and this this is a 3 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:13,239 Speaker 1: classic episode from former host Christian Sager. This one is 4 00:00:13,280 --> 00:00:16,840 Speaker 1: more of a thought experiment than practical science. Let's say 5 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:20,920 Speaker 1: the Moon disappeared, not blew up or gradually drifted away, 6 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: just one day, vamped right out of existence. What would 7 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: happen here on Earth? Oh? Hey, there, brain Stuff, it's 8 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:32,839 Speaker 1: Christian Sager, and it is time you and I had 9 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:36,360 Speaker 1: to talk about the Moon. I know we haven't been 10 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 1: there in a while, but it is pretty rad. I mean, 11 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 1: we think that about four point five billion years ago, 12 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:47,360 Speaker 1: something the size of Mars crashed into Earth and ricocheted 13 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:50,360 Speaker 1: into space to form the Moon. It even took some 14 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:53,880 Speaker 1: of Earth's mantle with it, So there's ancient chunks of 15 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 1: our planet merged with space stuff up there just hanging 16 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: out in orbit. But even with all at I'm not 17 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:03,319 Speaker 1: sure the Moon gets all the credit it deserves. If 18 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:06,360 Speaker 1: it wasn't there, things would be a lot different here 19 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:09,800 Speaker 1: on our little blue planet. First, we'd see some pretty 20 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 1: dramatic changes to the ocean. The Moon is responsible for 21 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:16,279 Speaker 1: most of the effects of tides. Without it, the tides 22 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 1: would only be a third of the size that they 23 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:20,959 Speaker 1: are now. This is because the Sun would account for 24 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 1: the major gravitational pull affecting the altitude of the ocean. 25 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:27,320 Speaker 1: And while the Sun is way bigger than the Moon, 26 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 1: like like four times bigger, it is also much further away, 27 00:01:32,240 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 1: so the tides it creates only have about of the 28 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: strength of our current lunar tides. Surfing wouldn't be the 29 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 1: only thing that suffered. Lots of ecosystems rely on the 30 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: motion and changes of the tides to sustain them. Plus, 31 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 1: the Moon holds a bulge of tidal water around Earth's 32 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 1: middle that would disperse without its gravity, changing coastlines around 33 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:58,800 Speaker 1: the world. Also, did you know that the Moon helps 34 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 1: slow down the rotation of Earth yep. Without it, we 35 00:02:02,240 --> 00:02:05,280 Speaker 1: wouldn't have twenty four hour days. They'd be more like 36 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:08,359 Speaker 1: six to eight hours long. We'd have to remake our 37 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:13,360 Speaker 1: calendar to accommodate between eleven hundred and four hundred days 38 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:17,240 Speaker 1: per year. Not only would that screw up all of 39 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 1: our schedules, but a faster rotation would also increase the 40 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:24,240 Speaker 1: amount of wind and storms on our planet. If that's 41 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:27,720 Speaker 1: not extreme climate change enough for you, No Moon would 42 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: also destabilize the Earth's access, unpredictably, changing our tilt with 43 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:36,320 Speaker 1: side effects that would render the planet inhospitable to lots 44 00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:39,519 Speaker 1: of its creatures. Right now, we're tilted at a lovely 45 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 1: twenty three degrees, which gives us relatively mild seasons and environments, 46 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: but the Moon acts as an external force that stabilizes 47 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 1: that angle. Without it, we could wobble anywhere between zero 48 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: degrees with no seasons and barely any sunlight to eighty 49 00:02:56,600 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 1: five degrees, where the planet would fall over on its 50 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:03,000 Speaker 1: side kitten on a cat nip pie. Mars, for example, 51 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:07,960 Speaker 1: wobbles only fifteen and thirty five degrees, and it experiences 52 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:12,359 Speaker 1: drastic climate changes where ice drifts all the way from 53 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:16,519 Speaker 1: its poles to its equator. Finally, Gang, I don't know 54 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 1: if you've noticed, but the moon's pretty darn bright up 55 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:20,880 Speaker 1: there in the middle of the night. Sure, the sun 56 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:24,440 Speaker 1: is four hundred thousand times brighter, but sometimes it's still 57 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: hits your eye, you know, like like like a big 58 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 1: pizza pie, which means that without it, our nights would 59 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 1: be a lot darker than we're used to. Try stumbling 60 00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 1: around in the woods without a moon and see how 61 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:42,800 Speaker 1: you like it. Today's episode was written by Christian and 62 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 1: produced by Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff is production of I 63 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:47,640 Speaker 1: Heart Radio's Has Stuff Works. For more on that and 64 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: lots of other topics that will hit your eye, visit 65 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 1: our home planet how Stuff Works dot com. Plus for 66 00:03:52,520 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the heart Radio app, 67 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:58,200 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.