What would be the effects on the earth if the moon exploded?

August 28, 2006 10:28 PM

What would be the effects on the earth if the moon exploded?

Let's forget about the "how," and just focus on what would happen, both long term and short term.

This is for a cheesy scifi project I am working on, not just because I was idly wondering about it.

posted by tcobretti to science & nature (29 comments total)

Well, there would be a lot of peices of the moon crashing into the earth, so that would suck.
posted by Paris Hilton at 10:31 PM on August 28, 2006

Google Answers: What happens on earth if the moon explodes?

The Straight Dope: I plan to destroy the moon. What effect would this have on the earth?
posted by The Jesse Helms at 10:32 PM on August 28, 2006

You might also find inspiration from Endor Holocaust, which answers, in great detail, the question "What happens when you detonate a spherical metal honeycomb over five hundred miles wide just above the atmosphere of a habitable world?"
posted by RichardP at 10:38 PM on August 28, 2006

Dang, you guys are fast!
posted by tcobretti at 10:39 PM on August 28, 2006

The tides would change radically and would only be dependent on the sun. Also, the Earth might experience more meteorite strikes.
posted by bshort at 10:39 PM on August 28, 2006

Related: not exactly exploding, but there is a new TV show about the moon getting hit by an asteroid and splitting into pieces.
posted by camcgee at 11:22 PM on August 28, 2006

How matters. Will large bits of the moon be blown onto the Earth's surface? That would be bad.
posted by caddis at 12:31 AM on August 29, 2006

Cheaper moonrocks.
posted by TwelveTwo at 12:44 AM on August 29, 2006 [2 favorites has favorites]

Any potential effects upon periods?
There'd also be a fair bit of ecological disruption - several creatures breed/spawn/migrate by the moonlight...

Also, no more eclipses :(
posted by Chunder at 1:11 AM on August 29, 2006

Related: not exactly exploding, but there is a new TV show about the moon getting hit by an asteroid and splitting into pieces.

That must be the cheesy sci-fi project that tcobretti is working on.
posted by b1tr0t at 1:22 AM on August 29, 2006

One theory of why moths are attracted to lights is that they use the moon to navigate by. So destroying the moon would clear that one up at least.
posted by jontyjago at 3:07 AM on August 29, 2006

Inignot will be pissed, that's for sure.
posted by kaseijin at 5:06 AM on August 29, 2006

Lovers won't have it in the sky during romatic walks, so smooching on park benches in the evening won't be quite as nice as it is these days.
posted by Meatbomb at 5:20 AM on August 29, 2006

The word "moon" will be a much more frequent vocabulary item in the short term, but gradually fall out of common usage in the longer term.
posted by Meatbomb at 5:22 AM on August 29, 2006

Jack McDevitt, Moonfall.
posted by bleary at 5:54 AM on August 29, 2006

We'd be F'd. Considering the amount of energy it would take to blow apart the moon, it would obviously have a major effect on the earth's orbit and rotation. Not to mention the amount of moon material that would hit the earth. A huge amount of material would form into a permanent cloud orbiting us and obscure sunlight. Temperatures would plummet for hundreds of years if not more. Anyone who survived the initial explosion wouldn't last very long....
posted by JJ86 at 5:59 AM on August 29, 2006

See also "What would be the effects on the earth if the moon suddenly disappeared?"
posted by miagaille at 6:06 AM on August 29, 2006

I believe that the show Cowboy Bebop dealt with this very theme in several episodes.
posted by saladin at 6:18 AM on August 29, 2006

See Thundarr the Barbarian for details on the outcome of such an event.
posted by Loto at 6:24 AM on August 29, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

"The year 1994: From out of space comes a runaway planet, hurtling between the Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction. Man's civilization is
cast in ruin.

Two thousand years later, Earth is reborn...

A strange new world rises from the old: a world of savagery, super science, and sorcery. But one man bursts his bonds to fight for justice! With his companions Ookla the Mok and Princess Ariel, he pits his strength, his courage, and his fabulous Sunsword against the forces of evil.

He is Thundarr, the Barbarian!"

I don't see how anyone or anything can top that.

—Ookla the Mok
posted by languagehat at 6:31 AM on August 29, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

Showers of lovely molten cheese. All the cheese you could ever want, which would be good for about two meals worth, because then it would start to spoil. But for a while it would be fantastic.
posted by kookoobirdz at 6:55 AM on August 29, 2006

Hearing Bill Monroe sing the line "blue moon of Kentucky, keep on shining, shine on the one who's gone and said goodbye" will be a more bittersweet experience than ever.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:56 AM on August 29, 2006

And "Cosmos 1999", the moon leave the orbit.

strange question, do you think that the WMD are hide up there ?!
posted by luis huiton at 6:57 AM on August 29, 2006

See also "What would be the effects on the earth if the moon suddenly disappeared?"

I used to have these gedanken experiments going through my head in high school, and one of them was what would happen with the gravity from the sun if it magically vanished? Right, we all daydream about how long the light would take to stop. Same deal with gravity. I asked my teach if it gravity "travels" at c.
posted by bleary at 8:21 AM on August 29, 2006

Hearing Bill Monroe sing the line "blue moon of Kentucky, keep on shining, shine on the one who's gone and said goodbye" will be a more bittersweet experience than ever.

*thinks of Audry Hepburn singing Moon River*

*sobs*

(and then goes to post in that weepy movie thread, no, just kidding)
posted by bleary at 8:22 AM on August 29, 2006

On the plus side, thousands of werewolves would be cured.
posted by LordSludge at 9:02 AM on August 29, 2006 [1 favorite has favorites]

What If the Moon Didn't Exist covers what if it had never existed.
posted by Zed_Lopez at 10:57 AM on August 29, 2006

Space: 1999?
posted by ganseki at 10:58 AM on August 29, 2006

Thanks for the help folks. Some pretty funny answers.

In about 4 months I'll post my lunar-apocalypse project to MeFi projects, so be watching!
posted by tcobretti at 12:22 PM on August 29, 2006