Posted on Jul 20, 2021
What would happen if the moon were twice as close to Earth?
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https://www.livescience.com/what-if-moon-closer-to-earth.html?utm_source=Selligent&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=LVS_newsletter&utm_content=LVS_newsletter+&utm_term=6461242&m_i=rEIPRvX3wxyQWGfiWumySWq87Rnci__q315bk5_6IAgmfPpW8wqbhS0XwcK6ON_yIQH3TLkNF6_1jGk617DekWZlVbVmZUHGHecedgIrrc&lrh=8c5792302b49511d5b55b1aab8a23790f429c91c6d0221b591feff6a06335a85&M_BT= [login to see] 5367
In the 2003 Jim Carrey movie "Bruce Almighty," Carrey's character suddenly acquires God-like powers, and uses those powers to lasso the full moon and pull it closer to Earth to woo his beloved. Later in the movie, background shots show TV news reports about massive, unprecedented flooding around the world.
While the film is obviously fantastical, it does raise a question: What would happen if the moon were twice as close to Earth than it is today?
In fact, the flooding scenario from the movie isn't far from what might actually happen if the moon were suddenly much closer to Earth, said Neil Comins, a physicist at the University of Maine. The best-known effect of the moon is its gravitational pull on Earth's oceans, which results in two high tides and two low tides every day.
But if the moon were half the distance from Earth as it is now, the tides would be eight times higher, Comins told Live Science. Some islands would be completely underwater for much of the day, and populated coastlines would likely become uninhabitable because of the high tides, he added.
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In the 2003 Jim Carrey movie "Bruce Almighty," Carrey's character suddenly acquires God-like powers, and uses those powers to lasso the full moon and pull it closer to Earth to woo his beloved. Later in the movie, background shots show TV news reports about massive, unprecedented flooding around the world.
While the film is obviously fantastical, it does raise a question: What would happen if the moon were twice as close to Earth than it is today?
In fact, the flooding scenario from the movie isn't far from what might actually happen if the moon were suddenly much closer to Earth, said Neil Comins, a physicist at the University of Maine. The best-known effect of the moon is its gravitational pull on Earth's oceans, which results in two high tides and two low tides every day.
But if the moon were half the distance from Earth as it is now, the tides would be eight times higher, Comins told Live Science. Some islands would be completely underwater for much of the day, and populated coastlines would likely become uninhabitable because of the high tides, he added.
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What would happen if the moon were twice as close to Earth?
Posted from livescience.com
Science
Astronomy
Posted >1 y ago
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We actually see a small version of this on a 20 year cycle when the moon moves closer and farther away. We're getting ready to start the closer cycle which will give us higher-high tides and lower low tides than we've had of late.
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When life first formed on Earth the Moon was much closer than that with tides hundreds of feet high. This is why many scientists think life first formed in the deep ocean vents, known as Black Smokers. The tides most likely would have prevented anything developing on the coasts.
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