[ 3 / biz / cgl / ck / diy / fa / ic / jp / lit / sci / vr / vt ] [ index / top / reports ] [ become a patron ] [ status ]
2023-11: Warosu is now out of extended maintenance.

/sci/ - Science & Math

View post   
File: 2.14 MB, 2580x2452, moon.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10794577 No.10794577 [Reply] [Original]

why doesnt Earth have two moons?

>> No.10794591

circumstances

>> No.10794593

>>10794577
why not three? or zero?

>> No.10794594

>>10794593
why doesnt Earth have three moons?

>> No.10794595

>>10794577
tidal locking

>> No.10794639

>>10794577
Because the Luna:Earth mass ratio is absurdly high.
Usually, a planet has many thousands of times the mass of its largest moon.

Luna's mass is actually significant compared to Earth's, meaning it plays a major role in the orbit of anything around Earth.
It's very hard to get an orbit around Earth that's stable for millions of years; too close to Earth, and trace amounts of Earth's atmosphere will eventually deorbit the object. Too far from Earth, and Luna causes so much randomness in the orbit that the body is bound to be lost or crash eventually.

There may not even be a goldilocks zone between Earth and Luna where orbits are stable, it could be that once something is far enough out of Earth's atmosphere to withstand a billion years of drag, Luna has enough influence to deorbit that something another way.
Obviously you could orbit Earth and Luna as a pair instead of one or the other, but for that to be stable requires being so far out that gravitational influences from other bodies may cause too much instability.

tl;dr the moon may make it impossible to have a second moon.

>> No.10794687
File: 444 KB, 1600x1203, Puddle.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10794687

>>10794577
Because that is the way it is.

Why does this puddle fit this hole?

>> No.10794758

>>10794577
Ummm...
www sciencealert com/earth-might-actually-have-a-second-moon

>> No.10794762

>>10794639
>tl;dr the moon may make it impossible to have a second moon.
Women.

>> No.10794768

Because earth was only hit by a meteor once during it's early life. Another meteor that size would probably have destroyed the early Earth

>> No.10794772

>>10794577
Why moon doesnt have its own moon?

>> No.10794788

>>10794772
Its theoretically possible, but it's orbit has to thread a needle.

>> No.10794802

>>10794788
Why moon's own moon cannot have its own moon which itself also has its moon?

>> No.10795571

>>10794577
Why does it have 5?

>> No.10795656

>>10794758
correct link:

https://www.sciencealert.com/earth-might-actually-have-a-second-moon

>>10794768
this

>> No.10795733

>>10794593
With no moons it is possible plate tectonics would be much smaller, thus reducing the geological carbon cycle, which would be bad for life on Earth.

>> No.10795834

>>10794802
Because your opportunities for stable orbits are going to get smaller the more recursions you try to put in there.

>> No.10795878

>>10794577
because it has just one and these two options are mutually exclusive

>> No.10795986

>>10795834
But i have two moons orbiting around in my phalic area if you know what i mean

>> No.10796007

>>10795986
Like I said: very very small. ;^)

>> No.10796041

>>10794577
What's the evolutionary purpose of having one moon?

>> No.10796049
File: 107 KB, 247x353, Fr. Holy Smokes.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10796049

>>10794639
Further proof of the existence of God.

>> No.10797789

This is a question for google. Not /sci/