(here on Earth). I didn't understand the reasons they gave - but they seemed fairly confident about making that statement.
If it is true what they said - and since Mars does not have a moon - could the lack of a moon for Mars be a sure indication that life is not possible there (according to the reasoning of National Geographic)
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If it is true what they said - and since Mars does not have a moon - could the lack of a moon for Mars be a sure indication that life is not possible there (according to the reasoning of National Geographic)
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I remember Issac Asimov writing something like that in one of his science essays.
Can't remember exactly what it was, and I didn't see the NG show, but i think that the Moon is responsible for stabilizing Earth's rotation. As you know the Moon is now tidally locked. Well it has likewise been slowing the Earth down. The young Earth's day was something like 17 hours long and its tilt was more than 23 degrees. It was wobbling much more and so the winters and summers were more severe. So much more severe that life may not have been able to start. In fact Asimov may have said that the collision with a Mars like object happened to luckily knock the Earth's spin by chance in the more stable rotation of today's 23 degrees! If the collision happened a day later lets say, the angle may have been more detrimental by giving the Earth an even steeper angle!
Second question, a lack of a Moon does not indicate anything since another planet may have a more advantageous tilt and orbit for life, to begin with.
Can't remember exactly what it was, and I didn't see the NG show, but i think that the Moon is responsible for stabilizing Earth's rotation. As you know the Moon is now tidally locked. Well it has likewise been slowing the Earth down. The young Earth's day was something like 17 hours long and its tilt was more than 23 degrees. It was wobbling much more and so the winters and summers were more severe. So much more severe that life may not have been able to start. In fact Asimov may have said that the collision with a Mars like object happened to luckily knock the Earth's spin by chance in the more stable rotation of today's 23 degrees! If the collision happened a day later lets say, the angle may have been more detrimental by giving the Earth an even steeper angle!
Second question, a lack of a Moon does not indicate anything since another planet may have a more advantageous tilt and orbit for life, to begin with.
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In fact Mars has two moons. Also, the lack of a moon does not make life impossible. It merely makes life as it currently exists on Earth impossible. This is because the gravitational pull of the moon effects our oceans and atmosphere, helping to shape the environment on earth. It is the environment that guides evolution by process of natural selection, thus with a different environment you would have life that evolved under those circumstances and would probably be very different.
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One thing a lot of people forget/don't know about the moon and its effect on life developing has to do with how the moon formed.
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