9 "What Ifs..." That Would Change Everything

It is thought that the Earth got its rocky companion following a cataclysmic collision with a Mar-sized planet during the early days of the solar system, but what if it had missed? Apart from providing a silvery nightlight, the moon actually has a big impact on the workings of our planet. For a start, there would be no tides.

This may not seem so disastrous now, but back in the early days of our planet's history, the moon was much closer, and therefore caused much greater tidal shifts. These prehistoric tides are thought to have helped stir up the primordial soup, mixing together the building blocks of life itself. The moon has also acted as a brake on the Earth for the past 4 billion years or so, slowing its rotation from a six hour day to our more familiar 24 hours. Our circadian rhythms, and perhaps even our society, would look very different if we were still on the six-hour schedule.

Away from the more practical lunar effects, the moon has had a massive influence on us as a thinking species. Since the dawn of man, it has given us a reason to look up; without the moon, we may never have formulated our ideas about the universe, and we may never have ventured out beyond the safety of our atmosphere. Without a moon to aim for, would it ever have occurred to us to explore space?