Discovery Channel Documentaries

If We Had No Moon (1999x2)

Uitzenddatum: Mei 30, 1999

What would life on earth be like without the moon? Well, chances are, there wouldn't be any life on earth without the moon. Life - if it had started at all - would still be in the earliest stages of evolution. Scientists use the latest computer simulations to show how an ancient rogue planet - Orpheus - collided with the earth millions of years ago, producing a sizable chunk of debris that eventually became our moon. If that collision had never occurred, we would live in a very different place. Imagine a moon-less weather report - blizzards over the Sahara, flood waters swallowing the Pyramids, 90-degree temperatures in Antarctica. As the earth wobbles on its axis - unsecured by the moon's gravitational pull - the polar caps would grow and recede at frightening rates. And without the moon, our planet would spin much faster - meaning four-hour days and searing temperatures. Worse yet, evidence reveals that we are in fact losing our grip on our lunar friend thanks to the ebb and flow of the oceans' tides. Experts reveal theories for salvaging the moon - including hijacking Europa from Jupiter - and demonstrate how we can prepare ourselves for our eventual life without it.