Have you ever wondered what happens if one day the Moon crashes into Earth?
Well, we can’t wrap this up better than facing the fact that Earth will be gone. Because of the collision’s enormous energy release, debris, molten rock, and dust would remain in the area for many years. Of course, it would be impossible to “diagnose” what will really happen to Earth itself, and most of the theories are pure speculation.
However, in today’s article, here at Science in the World, we will try to emphasize all the details that we have about this potential disaster in case the Moon crashes into Earth. What will cause this tragedy and how close we are to it, you will find out in the following lines.
What could be the reason behind the Moon crashing?
This is probably one of the most challenging tasks ever. However, suppose that some unknown factor causes this and the Moon suddenly starts to fall vertically downward toward the Earth, resembling a massive celestial apple.
Let’s assume further that the Moon begins at rest, which is to say that it has zero vertical motion to Earth. In roughly five days, it will crash to Earth, providing us plenty of opportunity to reflect on our errors.
We will be doomed!
After reading this question, take a moment and honestly answer it: How many times have you paid attention to the moon? Have you noticed that it becomes brighter and brighter every year and more visible to the eye?
The moon changed the tide patterns all around, swamped the beaches, and caused an increase in the number of fish that came near the coast. People have also discovered huge squids and other strange species that once lived deep beneath the surface of the ocean.
As sailors claim, compasses are no longer reliable, and this is mostly due to the shifting of the Earth’s magnetic poles. Sheesh, that doesn’t sound good!
But humans aren’t exactly aware of the fact that most of these changes are going to bring only bad things in the future. From a scientific point of view, if the moon crashes into Earth, the disaster will be huge. Imagine a huge ball, similar to the ones that we use in bowling but a million times bigger, that comes rapidly into what we call home, planet Earth.
Nothing could stop this from happening, not even a nuclear bombing. This will cause even more damage. No matter how scary this might sound, we must accept the fact that it will come a day in which we will have our hands tight and we won’t be able to stop the ending of humanity as we know it.
Everybody will go nuts
If by any chance we will live long enough to witness the moment when the Moon crashes into Earth, panic would be the first thing that will happen to all living creatures. The people who operate in the many observatories throughout the world will be the first to discover the phenomena. And most likely, they will be shocked to find that this is truly occurring.
The news will spread quickly, and within a few hours, nearly the whole space community will join the club of panic. The presidents of each nation will be the next to attempt to calm people down, obviously without success. How would you inform someone that they had just days, hours, or perhaps minutes to live?
Although this topic about what happens if the Moon crashes into Earth might give you chills down the spine, all the scientific discoveries around it are also very interesting. If you want to read more about outer space, check out this extraordinary book called How We Got to the Moon: The People, Technology, and Daring Feats of Science Behind Humanity’s Greatest Adventure which is available on Amazon for only $16.99 for the hardcover edition.
Even at this moment, the Moon is “flying” around the Earth
We are aware that this might seem unsettling, but the Moon isn’t only coming our way; it is also orbiting the Earth and drawing nearer with each turn. The recent increase in the number of natural disasters can be attributed to the moon’s various variations.
Have you ever noticed how much shorter the days are today than they used to be? This is just another indication that the moon accelerates the day and alters the pace of Earth’s rotation. Scientists say that if the Moon crashes into Earth days will have less than 5 hours with light. Sheesh! That’s really frightening.
There will be a significant earthquake soon
If regular earthquakes scare us enough to be aware of the fact that we are hopeless against nature, this particular earthquake that might happen if the Moon crashes into Earth is going to be massive. The roads will start cracking, and the house will collapse. All the tectonic plates are shifting all over the planet.
Consider the moon and the Earth’s core as two magnetic balls that are approaching each other. What do you think will happen to the material above the core now? Mountains will collapse, the seabed will fracture and discharge lava from the submerged depths, and since there will be many storms, the danger will be distant from us. Without gas masks, all of these factors will make it impossible to breathe.
Can we expect that by 2030 the world will be over?
As more and more people came to terms with the terrifying reality, there would still be overwhelming fear and dread with only a few days to live. The Moon would now take up more than half of the sky and begin to descend quite quickly.
The initial calamities of floods, volcanism, terror, and violence may have already claimed the lives of several hundred million people, and more would be dying every minute. And all the things that we now treasure will be pointless when this happens.
Scientists predict that by 2030 temperatures will be considerably higher and that there will be more climate hazards worldwide as diverse nations experience more debilitating heat waves, increased coastal floods, and crop failures. Furthermore, there are also scientists who say that if the moon as we know it will continue to live we might as well move on it and live safely there.
It will be a fast-ending
While all the terrible things that we’ve mentioned above are going to happen gradually, the actual moment when the Moon crashes into Earth is going to be twice as bad. But the good thing is that it will happen so fast that we won’t realize it.
At a speed of 10 km/s (22,000 mph), the Moon will let’s put it mildly, smash the Earth, unleashing a shockwave that will undoubtedly destroy anything that moves. Goodbye, humans; it’s been a wonderful 2 million-year run.
If you enjoyed reading about what happens if the Moon crashes into Earth, you may also like 7 Things From Outer Space That Will Destroy the World. Maybe this topic will pique your interest in science, and you’ll become a member of our community. Hit that subscribe button to receive right in your inbox the best news about science and not only. Plus it’s free of charge!
