"If the moon suddenly disappeared, then the consequences for many forms of life would be
devastating. The moon is the second-brightest regularly visible celestial object in Earth’s sky. As Genesis 1:16 says, “Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night.”
--Without the moon, all clear nights in areas without artificial lighting would be too dark for many nocturnal animals to search for food. Consequently, if the moon disappeared, some species would likely become extinct.
--Even the biological clocks used by many life forms are closely tied to the moon.
From Earth, the moon appears to be a bright gray-white color.
--Only 12% of the sun’s light is reflected, a slightly higher level than that reflected from worn asphalt. If the reflection were 100%, Earth’s night would at times be almost as bright as its day. As a result, plants that require a night cycle would not survive because certain critical plant biochemistry occurs only at night.
The moon requires about a month to circle Earth. Because the moon is slowly rotating as it orbits, the same face is always visible from Earth.
--Earth’s axis angle is critical to temperature. It’s hottest near the equator, where the sun’s rays strike at close to a 90º angle. The more it deviates from this angle, the lower the temperature. This is why Earth’s poles are significantly colder. Many researchers believe our moon’s gravitational influence helps to ensure the stability of Earth’s spin axis’ tilt angle.
The moon’s effect on Earth’s stability is due in part to two critical factors: its size and orbit.
Two basic types of orbit exist: an equatorial orbit, which travels along the line of the planet’s equator, and an ecliptic plane orbit, which lies in the flat plane defined by the planet’s orbit of the sun.
--The moon’s orbit is unique—most of the other named moons orbit their planets in an equatorial orbit.
--In contrast, our moon orbits in an ecliptic orbit. In other words, the moon’s orbit is very close to the plane of the ecliptic, not the earth’s equatorial plane." ICR
--Without the moon, all clear nights in areas without artificial lighting would be too dark for many nocturnal animals to search for food. Consequently, if the moon disappeared, some species would likely become extinct.
--Even the biological clocks used by many life forms are closely tied to the moon.
From Earth, the moon appears to be a bright gray-white color.
--Only 12% of the sun’s light is reflected, a slightly higher level than that reflected from worn asphalt. If the reflection were 100%, Earth’s night would at times be almost as bright as its day. As a result, plants that require a night cycle would not survive because certain critical plant biochemistry occurs only at night.
The moon requires about a month to circle Earth. Because the moon is slowly rotating as it orbits, the same face is always visible from Earth.
--Earth’s axis angle is critical to temperature. It’s hottest near the equator, where the sun’s rays strike at close to a 90º angle. The more it deviates from this angle, the lower the temperature. This is why Earth’s poles are significantly colder. Many researchers believe our moon’s gravitational influence helps to ensure the stability of Earth’s spin axis’ tilt angle.
The moon’s effect on Earth’s stability is due in part to two critical factors: its size and orbit.
Two basic types of orbit exist: an equatorial orbit, which travels along the line of the planet’s equator, and an ecliptic plane orbit, which lies in the flat plane defined by the planet’s orbit of the sun.
--The moon’s orbit is unique—most of the other named moons orbit their planets in an equatorial orbit.
--In contrast, our moon orbits in an ecliptic orbit. In other words, the moon’s orbit is very close to the plane of the ecliptic, not the earth’s equatorial plane." ICR
