Anything you can be bothered to write about, please! Tides, eclipses, anything that would be different from how we are with just one moon. Thank you very much :)
2007-08-14 08:59:48 · 7 answers · asked by ? 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Also, they would all be orbiting at different distances. Thanks :)
2007-08-14 09:02:43 · update #1
To clarify, I'm trying to figure out the details of a setting for a novel - I just wanted to know what could happen if a planet had three moons, it's not necessarily strictly about Earth. :) Thank you!
2007-08-14 13:26:12 · update #2
We would have some beautiful moments when the moons where eclipsing each other.
Tidal forces would cause more sporadic high and low tides. Most of the times the moons would not be alignment, and the effect would not be as noticeable, but at those times where they would align, there would be extreme high and low tides. The extra tidal forces might actually effect magma, as it does on IO, and cause more volcanism on the planet. Eventually undermining the core of the Earth. The magnetic field might actually weaken because the core would be loosing mass.
Mars has 2 moons and the largest volcano in the solar system to our knowledge, Mons Olympus. Mars may have had a stronger magnetic field at one time, but the core may have been compromised because of tidal forces and the weakening of the atmosphere.
Moons tend to help deflect large meteors, they are somewhat like guardians. If we had more moons this would increase our defense against a large meteor strike or near miss
More moons would allow us to create more extra terrestrial bases/colonies that are close to earth. Other moons within our solar system have atmospheres, if we had three moons one of them might have an atmosphere.
2007-08-14 09:33:33 · answer #1 · answered by Jason G 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Hi. Three moons would not be stable due to perturbations of the other planets and the Sun. But assuming a three moon system with two at a Lagrange point with the Earth Moon system, The tides would be complicated a bit (longer duration and smaller height - the tidal force would be spread out) and there would be nights that had more light as one then another than the third moon came into view.
2007-08-14 09:15:36 · answer #2 · answered by Cirric 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
All the effects on tides and rotation depend on the sizes of these two additional moons. Because our moon is so large, other moons would have to be much farther out (and probably quite a bit smaller) in orbit to stay out of the gravitational field of our current moon. If they were much smaller, they would have little effect on the Earth.
2007-08-14 09:35:14 · answer #3 · answered by rationallady 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If we had three moons then a few things would be different. 1. our orbit to the sun would be closer...why...because the sun is not just pulling on the earth, it pulling on our moon as well. if you were to add more mass to the equation then the sun would have more to pull on...thus bringing us closer. 2. a lot of the land mass we see today would constantly be going under water due to the 3 separate tides. 3. our rotation would also be different. our moon helps with the rotation and location of the earth...it is perfect (even though the moon is constantly moving away from us). If you had more moons than it would create chaos
2007-08-14 09:08:35 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
people who have confidence the Moon got here from Earth could say earth could be a smaller planet if there have been 3 Moons. Who is attentive to, perhaps there does not additionally be any monotheistic faith.
2016-11-12 08:05:08 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on their size and distance.
2007-08-14 09:50:09 · answer #6 · answered by Renaissance Man 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
it would be to bright and people would start dieing
2007-08-14 09:06:31 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋