If the moon crashed into Earth, would it wipe out all life or would any survive? #sciencefacts
52Hi there, fellow lunatics! Today I'm going to answer a question that has been bugging me for a long time: what if the moon crashed into Earth? Would it be the end of all life as we know it, or would some lucky creatures survive the cataclysmic impact? Let's find out!
First of all, let me say that this scenario is very unlikely to happen anytime soon. The moon is gradually moving away from Earth at a rate of about 3.8 centimeters per year, so it would take billions of years for it to get close enough to collide with our planet. But let's pretend that some cosmic force suddenly decided to push the moon towards Earth at a high speed. What would happen then?
Well, the short answer is: we're doomed. The long answer is: we're really, really doomed. The moon is about a quarter the size of Earth, and has a mass of about 7.3 x 10^22 kilograms. If it hit Earth at a typical orbital speed of about 1 kilometer per second, it would release an enormous amount of energy, equivalent to about 1.2 x 10^29 joules. That's more than a billion times the energy of the most powerful nuclear bomb ever detonated.
The impact would create a huge crater on Earth, vaporizing the crust and mantle in the vicinity, and sending massive shock waves and debris flying in all directions. The resulting fireball would engulf the entire planet, melting and vaporizing everything on the surface. The atmosphere would be stripped away by the blast, and the oceans would boil away into space. The Earth-moon system would become a molten blob of rock and metal, spinning rapidly and radiating heat.
Needless to say, no life would survive this event. Not even bacteria or cockroaches. The only possible survivors would be some hardy microorganisms that might be living deep underground or in the ocean floor, but they would have no chance of ever evolving into anything more complex. The Earth-moon blob would eventually cool down and solidify into a new planet, but it would be a barren and lifeless world.
So there you have it: if the moon crashed into Earth, it would be game over for all life forms. Let's hope that never happens, and enjoy the beauty and benefits of our natural satellite while we can. Thanks for reading, and stay lunatic!