Have you ever wondered how astronauts walked on the Moon? Have you ever noticed that the ocean’s tides rise and fall according to the Moon? The answer lies in the concept of Moon’s Gravity.
How did the astronauts manage walking on the moon’s surface?
According to studies, the moon’s gravity is 1/6th of our Earth. It is just 1.6 m/s, which is very low for the people on the Earth to walk easily on the surface.
That is why the astronauts are trained to walk on the lower gravity of the moon. A special low-gravity atmosphere is created in labs that were previously called “Indoor Moonscapes” and are trained to walk on the tilted walls. A Lunar Landing Training Vehicle was also made for the landing purpose. Finally, when they stepped on the moon, they had to hop like a rabbit to move forward.
How does the moon’s gravity affect ocean tides?
Each planet in our solar system has its gravitational forces. There also exists a gravitational pull between the planets themselves. Such a significant gravitational pull between the moon and the earth causes the ocean’s tides. As the moon’s gravity pulls the water in the ocean, a water bulge is created due to the tidal force, called a high tide. There are two high tides on the earth every day and the earth rotates through every high tide every day. However, the most important thing is the origin of the Moon!
The Giant Impact Hypothesis
Billions of years ago our Earth had NO MOON! After a few years, an anonymous planet or an asteroid that was approximately the size of planet Mars (also called Theia) collided on the Earth’s creating a massive explosion. It created a big piece of Earth’s wreckage combined with the debris of Theia. Along with time, the piece of the rubble cooled down, and there started the formation of our Moon. According to this hypothesis, the surface of the moon that formed after the collision was made up of the particles from the cores of the two planets.
But unfortunately, this hypothesis could not prove the fact of Earth’s rotation speed. It also could not prove the existence of the material and particles found on the moon’s surface.
‘Canonical Impact Theory’- The Satisfied Solution
But let’s not forget the efforts taken by our scientists. A ‘Canonical Impact Theory’ stated in the early 2000s proves all the failed hypotheses of ‘The Giant Impact’.
- It proves why the Earth in its early stages of evolution used to spin at a higher speed.
- It also proves the particle and material structure on the moon’s surface.
Just as the moon is important to poets and writers, it is also important to some of the geographical changes that are taking place on earth. Thanks to gravity for bringing phenomena that make day-to-day life exciting.
Read more: artificial moon can prove beneficial for improving the earth’s wellbeing
