ORIGINAL POST and response:
What changes might have happened or not happened to the earth if the moon had never formed?
Without the moon, the climatic conditions of the Earth would be adverse. While the Earth revolves around the sun, it is tilted so that the angle of inclination is 23.4 degrees (Fraknoi et al. 2016). This tilting began about 4.5 billion years ago when the Earth collided with another planet, but the attraction of the moon stabilized it at that angle. This means without the moon, and the Earth would have tilted over 85 degrees. What happens when the Earth’s axis is tilted to this extent is that the poles would be exposed to the sun, and the ices caps would leading to extreme climatic changes. Even now, a small change as one degree from the current inclination of the Earth’s axis is enough to cause ice ages. Additionally, there would be no seasons whatsoever, and both the lunar and solar eclipse would be there.
How might this have influenced civilization?
Without the moon, civilization may not have gone to the extent, which it has attained now. There is a significant influence of the moon, especially in astrology and other aspects of human civilization. The moon exerts friction on the Earth and thus make a move slowly. According to (Fraknoi et al. 2016) in every 100 years, the Earth’s rotation slows down by two milliseconds. The friction keeps the Earth rotating slowly, and a complete rotation lasts for 24 hours. Without the moon, therefore, days would be shorter, and people would work less, leading to stunted growth in civilization. People would also concentrate along the equator leaving the other area inhabited.
How might it have influenced the development of astronomy?
Even with the existence of the sun, stars and other heavenly bodies including the planets, the moon remains the basis of development in astronomy. The moon is closer to the Earth than the sun, and so, its effects are felt much than those of the sun. For instance, the moon causes spring tides and neap tides. Additionally, the most elongated the earth duration of the day from 6 hours to the present 24 hours by slowing down the rotation. Therefore, the development of astronomy and astrology stemmed from the moon more than the sun and other bodies.
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