If the Moon were a bigger satellite how would this impact life on Earth?
For arguments sake, what would happen if the Moon and Saturn, suddenly switched places?
Could life exist with this now larger satellite?
If the Moon were a bigger satellite how would this impact life on Earth?
For arguments sake, what would happen if the Moon and Saturn, suddenly switched places?
Could life exist with this now larger satellite?
If the moon were bigger it might not impact earth as much as you'd think. Life would probably find a way, as it historically does.
It is entirely possible a larger moon would actually give us a more stable tilt, the angle at which heat from the sun hits it, meaning less climate change and less chances of ice age.
A moon with more gravity would slow down the Earth's spin and cause longer days (this is already happening slightly with the current moon). Depending on the size of the moon, the inhabitants would need to live during many days of darkness at a time. In the arctic circle, things survive 6 months of darkness, so I'm sure humans would figure it out.
Pluto and Charon are close in size comparatively and they are tidal-locked to each other, meaning they are always facing each other at a single point like figure skaters holding hands. There may be a side of the Earth the Moonanites never see, like we don't see the "dark side" of the Moon.
Saturn as a "moon" would impact life on Earth by extinguishing all of it.
Well, Saturn happens to be much larger than the Earth. So large that the Earth would then be the moon, not Saturn.
Luckily Saturn's Roche Limit is about 75,000km and the distance between the Moon and the Earth is about 380,000km. So the Earth would not be torn apart right away.
However, the tidal stresses will likely greatly increase earthquakes and vulcanism. The tides would get pretty ridiculous too.
I don't know enough orbital mechanics but I suspect that our geostationary satellites will have a hard time staying in place.