what would happen if the moon were to lose its orbit and drift off into space?

Answer 1

possibly various bad things i guess, not least of all lots of places being flooded by completely messed up oceans and seas

I think thought tbh that no one on earth could really say what the removal of a body of such magnitude from the proximty of earth would do... although i suspect probably not a lot... yes it is a shield... but only for very little of the stuff that actually hits earth on a daily basis which is a hell of a lot more often than people think!

Answer 2

I don't think it would be catastrophic for the Earth. It would still orbit the sun, but its seasons, and certainly its tides, would be affected. But then, for two lovers smooching under the stars, it would be a real let down. By the way, even though the moon is drifting away a few inches per year, at some point that orbital resonance will also cause it to come closer to the Earth. Too close, as a matter of fact. In a few billion years, it is theorized the Earth will have a ring system rivaling Saturn's rings, because the moon will be pulverized by the Earth's gravity.

Answer 3

The moon is slowly pulling away from Earth at a rate or either 3 or 4 inches per year and has been for quite some time now. The moon has a stabilizing effect on our planets rotation, keeping our axis more stable. If the moon were not stabilizing our spin the Earth would tilit and wobble on its' year-long rotation around the sun causing MAJOR climate changes, i.e. Hawaii could be the North Pole for a few months, etc.. That would have a devastating effect of plant life all over the world and eventually cause an extiction of most species.

Answer 4

Gravity does not enable that to happen...yet whilst it did: For starters the earths tides would almost disappear and the earths orbit around the solar would exchange as unquestionably the two moon and earth orbit one yet another. This orbit exchange may additionally impression the earths climate.

Answer 5

We would begin to focus on more important things and save a lot of money, mostly.

We would still have tides beacuse of the Sun's gravity but not as varying. Some marine life that depends on the stronger movements of the tides for its existence would become extinct and life higher up on the food chain would have to adjust. You would become a more attractive choice on the menu as you went for a swim.

Night time would be darker and the dogs would stop howling, so we would sleep better.

Answer 6

A Zillion poems would no longer make sense.

From an Astronomy point, there would then be almost no tides, no lunar or solar eclipses. I can't think of a reason that would cause us to die... but seeing the stars at night would no longer be hampered by a 'full moon'

Oh, no werewolves either

Answer 7

The major difference here on earth would be the loss of the tides. Other than that life would pretty much be the same except you would no longer have moon-lit nights.

Answer 8

Which way is it drifting? If it drifted into another planet, it would be an amazing thing to observe. If it drifted toward the sun, which would be most likely, it would soon become solar radiation.

Answer 9

Massive earthquakes, massive eruptions, disruption in our axis of rotation, and eventually the center of our planet would start to cool to the point that we would lose our magnetic field. Lose that field, and we will be irradiated and the earth likely would become a sterile void. The moon is incredibly important to us.

Answer 10

well that's very very very unlikely and might be impossible but my guess is that it would cause a bit of a gravitational shift and the ocean wouldn't have so many waves or something but i don't know anything about the moon so whatever