Our Pal The Moon

[magpie]

it has been stated that the moon is moving further away. what are the implications for earth? will our planet become uninhabitable? will our axis be radically changed? no assignment just an enquiring mind!

[jim360]

This is a very long-term change, so what implications there will be will most likely end up being less important than other changes. In particular, the rate of change of orbit is such that the Moon's orbit will have increased by 20 days in about 50 billion years. By which time, the Sun will have been dead for about 46 billion years or so.

Assuming no other changes, the Moon is predicted to reach a "locked" orbit of 47 days about the Earth, at which point both the Earth and the Moon will rotate about their axes at the same rate (so, rather like our only seeing one side of the Moon, people on the Moon would only see one side of us).

It's hard to know how this will change things exactly -- perhaps few people have given proper thought to the situation, as after all by the time there's any noticeable changes it won't matter anyway.

[Bazile]

jim 360 - i'm suprised that you dont plan on being around in the next 40 billion years or so to continue locking horns with an other on AB

[jim360]

I was thinking of calling it a day after 34 billion years. Already had more than my fill of internet-based heated debate/ argument/ flame wars...

[magpie]

i can see that the two of you have been locking horns for a long time! shouldn't jim be called brains? from the sound of it you were both here for the big bang what was it like? bazile you are very enterprising! it's a shame that half the planet will never see the moon. that's the end of total eclipses then. cheers lads good to hear your opinions.

[jim360]

I think Bazile meant me and someone else. So far as I know I don't lock horns with Bazile.

[DTCwordfan]

Two blondes in Essex were sitting on a bench talking ... and one blonde says to the other,
"Which do you think is farther away ... Cornwall or the moon?"

The other blonde turns and says "Helloooooooooo, can you see Cornwall...?"

[ABAuntie]

Also there is the magnetic pole shift which should be happening any minute now :-)

And in about 2 million years (give or take) the Milky Way will collide with the Andromeda galaxy so either way we are pretty stuffed.

auntie xxx

[jim360]

2 million?! Closer to 2 billion, Auntie.

[Bazile]

ABAuntie

I beleive that should be 5 billion years time

[ABAuntie]

Yay :-)

thanks guys was just guessing

auntie xxx

[Bazile]

For those of you who can't wait to see how it will look - here it is


http://www.space.com/15947-milky-andromeda-galaxies-collision-simulated-video.html

[mibn2cweus]

In a galactic collision with Andromeda the odds of our solar system taking a direct hit are extremely unlikely given the astronomic distances between stars.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andromeda%E2%80%93Milky_Way_collision#The_fate_of_the_Solar_System

[atalanta]

As the moon gets further away, eclipses will not bring total darkness. It is a complete coincidence that the moon ( these days) exactly obscures the sun during an eclipse, but as the more-distant moon appears to be smaller, it will cover less of the sun, so more light will reach the earth. The ring of light around the dark circle of the moon will gradually get wider as the moon retreats.

[wired]

So, from your debate I take it that my long time savings won't be much good
:(