Dark Side of the Moon
Dark Side of the Moon
Dark Side of the Moon
Dark Side of the Moon
Uncovering
the mysteries of our moon
PRESENT - Earth and the Moon
The moon causes tides on Earth but what else does it affect?
Due to gravitational forces, the moon pulls everything towards it and this force is strongest on the side of the Earth facing the moon. We can see this in the daily tides of the ocean as the water levels rise and fall, but the land and the atmosphere above are also affected by these tidal movements.
The Sun has an additional gravitational pull on the Earth, and when it is aligned with the Moon, they pull together. This happens twice a month and creates extra large spring tides. When the Sun and Moon pull against each other, small or neap tides occur.
The Moon travels around the Earth in an ellipse so the Moon actually moves closer and further from the Earth during the lunar cycle. The Apogee is the farthest point from the Earth. Perigee is the closest point to the Earth.
​
The closer objects are, the greater the gravitational force is between them, so when the Moon is at perigee, closest to Earth, the tidal force is greater. If a spring tide occurs when the moon is at perigee, an extra large king tide affects the world’s surface.
Although how the moon’s gravitational forces affect Earth still remains somewhat of a mystery, the Moon also pulls on the atmospheric tides and tides in rocks. During times when the Moon is at perigee, it exaggerates the weather around the world. Greater numbers of cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons, volcanic eruptions, floods, heat waves and earthquakes have been recorded during perigee.
Many living creatures on Earth are influenced by the phases of the Moon. For example, Mayflies only live for a few hours and in this time they need to mate and lay their eggs in water. In temperate climates the flies take clues from the change in temperature in order to all emerge at the same time. However, at Lake Victoria in Africa where the temperatures are fairly constant, Mayflies cannot use clues from temperature changes so they solve this by only emerging at the full moon. Oysters also have a lunar rhythm. They close during the full moon and open during the new moon as there is more algae in the ocean.
The Earth’s magnetic field protects us from radiation and charged particles coming from the Sun. Our molten core is what creates this field. Scientists believe that the gravitational push and pull from the Moon has kept it liquid and prevented it from solidifying. Without the Moon, there would be no life on Earth.