G7-Our Necessary Moon 800-900L – 03

The Moon, Tides and Life

Around 4 billion years ago, Earth had developed oceans. Even then, it was still a barren world void of life. This early Earth rotated wildly every 12 hours. The Moon orbited Earth at a closer distance than it does today. As a result, the tides were more frequent and extreme. In fact, tidal motion may have been the prod early Earth needed to make the first step toward the creation of life.

These extreme tides may have played that critical role in helping the precursor nucleic acids to form. It is these ingredients that are needed for the growth of early life. Perhaps Earth may have still developed life. However, having a large nearby moon probably helped.

The Spinning Earth and Climate

Over time, the Moon slowly moved farther away from Earth. This motion helped to slow Earth’s rotation. Currently, the Moon is approximately 240,000 miles from Earth. It is now far closer than the Sun at 93 million miles. Certainly, the Sun is capable of producing a large gravitational attraction. However, its force is reduced due to the great distance the Sun is from Earth. The Moon is much smaller than the Sun, so it produces a smaller gravitational pull.
However, the Moon is much closer than the Sun, increasing its impact. This constant tug on Earth by the Moon helps slow its rotation. Without the Moon slowing down Earth’s rotation, days would be shorter. Shorter days would result in a lower average temperature for Earth. Even a few degrees drop in temperature would have a major impact on food production.