My favorite time of day is nighttime. I love it all - the darkness, the stars, and moon, the way it makes you feel both bigger and smaller at the same time.
The moon, besides being beautiful, wooing young lovers, and being the subject of photos and paintings for decades, offers the following to the Earth:
1. Tides and Ocean Health - The moon's gravitational pull creates tides, essential for mixing ocean waters. This process distributes nutrients, keeps marine ecosystems healthy, and helps regulate Earth's climate by moving heat across the planet.

2. Deflecting Asteroids - The moon also acts as a protector. Its gravitational influence helps reduce the number of asteroid impacts on Earth by altering the paths of potentially dangerous celestial objects. Its back is pockmarked by blows that would have otherwise struck our planet.

3. Day Length and Rotation - The moon slows Earth's rotation over time, leading to a balanced day length. This gradual slowing supports stable climates and ensures a rhythm that aligns with biological processes like photosynthesis and animal behaviors.

4. A rare, perfect placement - The moon's origin is itself remarkable. According to the "giant impact hypothesis," a precise collision created a Moon with the perfect size and composition to benefit Earth, which is rare among planets and their satellites.

5. Geological Balance - The moon's interaction with Earth contributes to geological processes like plate tectonics and maintaining Earth's magnetic field. These are essential for recycling nutrients and shielding the planet from harmful solar radiation.
These aspects of the mon are discussed in The Privileged Planet (Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay W. Richards). God is an amazing Creator! The odds of the moon being exactly what Earth needs to survive are - please excuse me for this - astronomical. HA! While between 1/4 - 1/45 terrestial plaets may have a large moon-like satellite, there are more conditions that must be met to compare them to our moon. Like I said, God is an awesome Creator!
And if you've read this far, you're awesome, too! Thanks!

Blessings,
Deb

You need to login or register to write reviews. It's quick! We only ask four questions to new members.