If the moon suddenly spun off into space how would this affect us on earth?

[Hocum]

I wanted to ask what life would be like without the moon but was told once that life wouldn't have started without the moons existence so have modified my question.

[MarkRae]

> it may have been coincidence

It's not coincidence at all. It's a well-known biological phenomenon caused, as has been correctly stated, by pheromones.

http://en.wikipedia.o...i/Menstrual_synchrony

[boxtops]

Thanks MR - I put the comment about coincidence expecting the theory to be shot down in the water - good to know there is some substantive evidence!

[RATTER15]

OG, its probably so that they are all in the same stage of their cycle, so when a visiting stud arrives on the scene he can impregnate the whole lot in one session, Boxy, where do you work? :-)

[Old_Geezer]

I don't believe the noted spiral of the moon away from the earth nullifies Newton's laws. Surely it would predict the moon continuing to spiral away until acted on by some other force. And it is my understand that the idea of a collision is still the prevailing theory.

[Old_Geezer]

I didn't have the courage to suggest that Ratter. Do the ladies here know where you live ? (I'm not suggesting pleasant intent.)

[jomifl]

This question was answered a few months ago but in a slightly more serious way.

[rowanwitch]

It would make a lot of songs a bit pointless

.There used to be something there ...river wider than a mile

Blue...thing that used to be in the sky

so Man City fans would need a new song..


Hey diddle diddle the cat and the fiddle the cow couldn't find anything to jump over ...
The little dog laughed cos the cow looked confused.....

[jake-the-peg]

That wasn't what I meant by coincidence

I mean that it's a coincidence that human menstrual cycles are close to the orbital period of the moon.

As above if there was a connection it would imply something special about humans and that there would be a sychronisation between unconnected women.

But you can quite see why people would think that there was a connection

[mibn2cweus]

Rowenwitch, don't get me started . . .

“There is no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact . . . there is no moon.”

[paddiez]

Anybody thought how it affects tectonic plate movement. Tectonic plate movement does help release gasses from the earths interior replenishing that which is blown away by the sun. No moon , no volcanoes.

[vascop]

Did you catch this documentary on BBC2 about a year ago? "Do we really need the moon?"?
http://topdocumentary...really-need-the-moon/

[Psybbo]

vascop, the OP has been banned.

[tommy-h]

QA-Which moon? There are 2 The moon and Cruithne.

[bert_h]

Sorry, Paddiez, the moon's gravity is too weak, and too steady, to play any significant part in tectonic plate movements. The forces that cause the plate movements come from the huge nuclear reactor in the earth's uranium-rich metal core, and the the whole mantle around it convecting like a simmering saucepan to bring all that generated heat up to the surface. So without the moon, we'd still have continental drift, mountain-building where the plates collide, and ocean floor spreading where they're parting. Oh, and as others have said, smaller tides which would be at the same time every day.

[New Judge]

The moon is slowly moving away from the Earth and the Earth’s rate of rotation gradually diminishing and none of Newton’s laws (or any other physical laws) is being violated. This phenomenon, known as tidal acceleration[i, is caused by the tidal forces between the earth and the moon which causes each body to elongate. It has already caused the moon to become [i]tidally locked] with the Earth. This means the Earth’s period of revolution on its axis and its period of orbit around the Earth is identical such that the same face of the moon always faces the Earth. Some models suggest that eventually the Earth may also become tidally locked with the moon and then the “tides” in the oceans will no longer exist. More details here:

http://uk.ask.com/wiki/Tidal_acceleration

[heathfield]

The earth and the moon rotate about a common centre of mass, located about a quarter way under the Earth's surface toward its centre. If the Moon suddenly disappeared, this would cause the Earth to be immediately thrown out of its present orbital path round the sun, like a stone from a slingshot. The exact direction would depend on the postion of the Moon when it vanished.

Just as ocean tides are the result of the Moon's gravitational pull, so are 'Earth tides', when the dry land surfaces rise and fall by several centimetres daily under the Moon's influence. These tides could well have some effect on plate movement - they are taken into account by many of those who monitor volcanic activity, for example.