What would happen if the Earth’s moon was suddenly replaced by another planet?
What if one day you woke up and saw the moon replaced by Jupiter or Uranus or any other
planet?
The impact would be far-reaching and profound.
Our planet’s orbit might be altered, the tides would change, and Earth’s weather
patterns might be thrown into turmoil.
While it might be fascinating to have a new planet to look at in the night sky, the reality
could be far less pleasant.
In fact, it could even be disastrous.
So what planet could we replace our moon with, and what would be the consequences?
And what planets could we safely remove our moon with?
Let’s try to answer these questions in this video.
The Moon is a pretty big object.
It’s actually about a quarter the diameter of the Earth, which makes it the largest satellite
in proportion to the size of the planet it orbits.
The Moon is also the only satellite that is larger than Pluto, in terms of proportions.
So, if the Moon were orbiting the sun instead of Earth, we would consider it a respectable
planet in its own right.
However, the Moon’s orbit is not perfectly circular.
In fact, it is only slightly perturbed by Earth’s orbit.
But that’s a topic for another day.
For now, suffice it to say that the Moon is a pretty big object that plays an important
role in our solar system.
The Moon is also essential for life on Earth.
Not only does it help to regulate the Earth’s tilt, but it also stabilizes the Earth’s
orbit.
As a result, the Earth’s climate is relatively stable and predictable.
The Moon also plays an important role in ocean currents and the circulation of nutrients.
Without the Moon, these vital processes would be disrupted, causing severe weather patterns
and devastating floods.
In short, the Moon is essential for life on Earth.
Thanks to the Moon, we can enjoy predictable weather, stable sea levels, and a healthy
environment.
Now we cannot just allow our moon to go on a vacation, leaving our planet all alone.
After all, no one likes to be alone.
So we would find it a replacement from our Solar system.
The Earth is a unique planet in our Solar System.
Not only does it support life, but it also has a large moon that helps to stabilize its
rotation.
However, what would happen if we swapped our moon with a planet that is 41 times its size?
The Earth would become a very different place.
But before we get to that very dramatic part, let’s talk about replacing the moon with
the smallest ex-planet, i.e., Pluto.
What if one day you woke up to find that Pluto had replaced the Moon?
At first glance, it might not seem like such a bad thing.
After all, both bodies are roughly the same size and share a similar reddish hue.
However, looks can be deceiving.
Although Pluto and the Moon may appear similar, they would have very different effects on
Earth if they swapped places.
For starters, Pluto is much smaller than the Moon, which means that its gravitational pull
is weaker.
This would cause Earth to begin wobbling all over the place, resulting in drastic climate
change and a multitude of natural disasters.
Additionally, the weaker gravitational force would also lead to weaker ocean tides.
This would have a devastating impact on important ecosystems that rely on the tides for survival.
In short, it would be a disaster of astronomical proportions.
But how about a planet slightly larger than our moon?
Imagine waking up in the middle of the night and noticing that the moon looks somewhat
different than usual.
It seems brighter and bigger, but it’s hardly noticeable, especially when you’re half
asleep.
You go back to bed unaware that instead of the moon, you’ve just seen Mercury close
up.
This planet, the nearest to the sun, is similar to our natural satellite.
Its surface is littered with craters left by space rocks.
Mercury is about two-fifths the size of our planet, but it’s still a bit larger than
the moon.
That’s why the planet would have a greater influence on Earth.
Nights would become brighter, high tides would become higher, and low tides would come lower.
The lunar cycle - that’s the time the moon (or rather Mercury now) needs to go through
all the phases - would become 14 hours shorter.
Mercury is only 1.5 times the size of our Moon and has a dark gray surface with asteroid
craters. Mercury would look exactly like our Moon if it replaced it.
Replacing the Moon with Mercury would not be disastrous because Mercury’s impact on
our tidal systems and climate wouldn’t be much different from the Moon’s.
Replacing the Moon with Mercury would be a good idea because Mercury is a more stable
planet that wouldn’t cause as many problems for life on Earth.
But all in all, it wouldn’t be too different from what we’re used to.
But that cannot be said for our nearest red planet, Mars.
At night, we would no longer be able to see the moon shining bright in the sky.
In its place, Mars would loom large, casting an eerie red glow over the Earth.
The increased gravitational pull of Mars would cause tsunamis to be smaller, but normal waves
to become massive.
Additionally, the tidal forces created by Mars would slow down the Earth’s rotation,
resulting in longer days.
Although a 16-hour workday doesn’t sound ideal, it would be fascinating to see how
our world would change if Mars replaced the moon in our night sky.
Moving on, we have the Earth’s twin, Venus.
Having Venus in our night sky would be a disastrous for stargazers.
For one thing, Venus is much brighter than the Moon, so it would reflect 60% more light
than our natural satellite.
This would make it impossible for us to experience darkness, disrupting our sleeping patterns
and causing all sorts of problems for nocturnal animals.
Our familiar satellite would be swapped out for the third brightest natural object in
the sky.
Venus would be as large in our sky as Earth once appeared to the Apollo astronauts when
they looked at it from the moon's surface.
The morning star would be much brighter than the moon, for one thing.
The planet reflects six times more sunlight, plus it would occupy an area at least 16 times
larger.
That’s why nights on Earth would be as bright as early twilight now.
If you looked at Venus, you’d spot vague swirling patterns in the planet’s yellowish
white cloud cover.
In addition, Venus is 3.5 times the size of the Moon, so it would force Earth into a binary
system.
The two planets would likely orbit around their common center of mass.
This means that our planet would start to rotate around Venus, resulting in chaotic
and unpredictable weather patterns.
Over time, this would likely lead to the collision or merging of the two planets, resulting in
widespread destruction and loss of life.
Next, what if, instead of the Moon, we had Neptune or Uranus?
These two planets are both ice giants, and they’re similar in size to the Moon.
If either of them were in our sky, they would take up a huge portion of it.
And because they’re both blue-green in color, they would give the sky a very different appearance.
But there’s one other difference between Neptune and Uranus that would be quite noticeable:
Uranus smells horrible.
In fact, its nickname is “the farting planet.”
No one knows for sure why Uranus has such an unpleasant odor, but it’s likely that
the methane in its atmosphere is to blame.
So if Uranus were in our sky, not only would it look different, but it would also stink
terribly.
Of course, having Neptune or Uranus in our sky would have more than just cosmetic effects.
Because these planets are so large, they would have a major impact on Earth’s rotation
and tides.
Beach houses would have to be built up on cliffs to avoid being swept away by enormous
waves.
And the everyday rhythms of life would be thrown off by.
Seeing Saturn up in the night sky would be my favorite.
It would be quite a sight to behold if Saturn replaced the moon.
Its pale yellow color and ring system would be stunning.
But there would be some complications.
The planet is more than 35 times larger than our satellite, which means the giant golden
globe would cover 18 degrees of the sky.
Its rings would also stretch even further from horizon to horizon.
Earth would be a bit further away from the gas giant than its own moon Dione, but since
Saturn is way more powerful, earth would turn into its satellite instead of the other way
around.
Unfortunately, earth’s rotational speed wouldn’t be enough to keep up and we’d
most likely crash into the much larger planet within a day or two.
But before burning up in Saturn’s atmosphere, we’d have to pass through its magnificent
rings.
They’re made up of pieces of comets, asteroids and shattered moons, so it wouldn’t be an
easy feat to get through them unscathed.
But even if the fall didn’t happen and Earth orbited around Saturn, it simply wouldn’t
be the Earth we know today.
The gravitational forces would be different, the days and nights would be longer, and the
climate would change.
In short, it would be an entirely different world.
Nevertheless, it would be fascinating to see Saturn in the night sky, even if it did mean
saying goodbye to our beloved Moon.
Finally, moving on to our big guy, Jupiter.
What would happen if Jupiter replaced the moon?
Similar to the deal with Saturn, Earth would become Jupiter’s satellite, just like Europa,
Callisto, and Io.
At 41 times the size of the Moon, you wouldn’t even be able to see the North and South poles
of Jupiter.
Replacing our moon with Jupiter would have some interesting consequences.
The gas giant is dozens of times larger than the moon, meaning a gigantic, beautifully
striped sphere would cover nearly all the horizon.
If you had time to enjoy the show, you’d see yellow, brown, red and white clouds floating
in Jupiter’s atmosphere.
Sadly, the gas giant’s gravitational pull would instantly cause severe earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis.
Earth’s mantle and crust would be drawn toward Jupiter, which would break the planet
apart.
Jupiter’s gravitational pull would tear the Earth apart.
In short, it wouldn’t be pretty.
So next time you look up at the moon, be thankful it’s there - because without it, we wouldn’t
be dwelling on such pleasant thoughts!
So overall the outcome of replacing our moon with different planets won’t have pleasant
outcomes.
Though the view will be awesome, seeing the beautiful planets in the sky in place of our
moon.
So what do you think would be the planet you would love to see in your night sky?
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
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