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What if the Moon was split in half?
Just thinking about the moon and what would happen if it was split in half ^ | May 1, 2018

Posted on 05/01/2018 7:32:11 PM PDT by SamAdams76

If you simply flew up into space and sawed the moon in half with a giant hacksaw, most likely, nothing would happen. This is because gravitational force would hold the two halves together, sort of like a couple of magnets.

But what if you were able to get a couple of giant crowbars and put a person on the other side and then count to 3 and totally separate the two halves of the moon?

With enough strength applied, you could theoretically push the two halves far enough apart where the gravitational force no longer pulls them together and now the two halves start drifting apart.

This is where the fun begins.

It would be a pretty awesome sight from planet Earth, that I can tell you. Now if you left them in the same orbit (around the Earth), they'd eventually meet up with each other so you would have to find a way to push them into different orbits - maybe if you put a bunch of thruster rockets on one of the halves...I'm just thinking out loud here. I'm sure others will have better ideas.

So in essence, if we are going to successfully split the moon apart, we will need to apply enough delta V to one half of it to put it into a drastically different orbit. No mean task!

Here on Earth, in addition to the spectacular sight, we'd get reductions in tides with and increase in variability if spring and neap tides.

Long term, one of the moon halves will go into a more elliptical orbit, diving down close to the atmosphere of the Earth and perhaps even skim off much of the atmosphere, resulting in widespread extinction of species and other unfavorable effects.

In conclusion, splitting the moon in half, while certainly a tempting endeavor, should probably not be seriously attempted as the end result could well be catastrophic with respect to planet Earth.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: astronomy; catastrophism; kuhrayzee; lunarorigin; moon; science; themoon; wob
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To: Vendome

I bought a reciprocating saw from there about 5 years ago.

It still works.


121 posted on 05/02/2018 6:07:22 AM PDT by wally_bert (I didn't get where I am today by selling ice cream tasting of bookends, pumice stone & West Germany)
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear

Used to fix defective condoms


122 posted on 05/02/2018 8:01:07 AM PDT by Getready (Wisdom is more valuable than gold and diamonds, and harder to find.)
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To: Billthedrill

I thought the same thing, that there are so many caves and old mines that there would have been battles at the surface while people were trying to go down in them and stock them and set them up.

I had other problems with his vision of how it would go, but one of the main ones I was a little skeptical of was the idea that people would develop into fish men. I don’t think there is enough time to evolve as much as it would take.

The political maneuverings up in space seemed a little off to me, too.

But overall, the book was very thought-provoking, and the science was real. I learned a lot. A very enjoyable read.


123 posted on 05/02/2018 8:05:16 AM PDT by Defiant (I may be deplorable, but I'm not getting in that basket.)
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To: who_would_fardels_bear

Below the Harbor Freight? I get a great deal on 5mm vinyl gloves...20% off and a small flashlight or other doohickey for FREE...I am hesitant to buy complex stuff from them...maybe after 10 years their rep and quality will go up. Milwaukee tools is owned by a chinese consortium...so who knows where the quality of these tools are gonna be?


124 posted on 05/02/2018 8:15:12 AM PDT by Getready (Wisdom is more valuable than gold and diamonds, and harder to find.)
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To: gigster

Paul Bunyan might have a few hanging around.


125 posted on 05/02/2018 1:30:06 PM PDT by Paleo Conservative (Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not really out to get you.)
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To: Telepathic Intruder
1.9x1029 joules, roughly equivalent to a 46 trillion megaton nuclear explosion

That's quite a "bang"!

126 posted on 05/03/2018 9:22:16 AM PDT by Paul R.
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To: Paul R.

By comparison, the impact at Tycho crater:

https://www.reddit.com/r/theydidthemath/comments/230dxe/request_how_bright_would_the_tycho_impact_have/


127 posted on 05/03/2018 9:25:37 AM PDT by Paul R.
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To: SamAdams76

Tempting? To who? Why?

I mean, as a thought experiment for harvesting resources from other planetary bodies, it has merit...

But our Moon? Leave Luna right where she is.


128 posted on 05/03/2018 9:32:48 AM PDT by Dead Corpse (A Psalm in napalm...)
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To: SamAdams76
The article is upsetting dog.


129 posted on 05/03/2018 10:03:17 AM PDT by Rebelbase (YETI deathwatch, tick, tick, tick......)
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To: IndispensableDestiny

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Abian


130 posted on 05/04/2018 6:33:28 AM PDT by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, if you can keep it.")
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To: Jamestown1630
Good ole Alexander Abian:

TIME-SPACE HAS INERTIA. EQUIVALENCE OF TIME-SPACE AND MASS1/T+1/log M =1(ABIAN) ALTER EARTH'S ORBIT AND TILT - STOP EPIDEMICS OF CANCER, CHOLERA, AIDS, ETC. VENUS MUST BE GIVEN A NEAR EARTH-LIKE ORBIT TO BECOME A BORN AGAIN EARTH

131 posted on 05/04/2018 7:09:51 AM PDT by IndispensableDestiny
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To: IndispensableDestiny

I was acquainted with Alex. He was a brilliant, many-talented and very sweet man.

I always thought that the way he expressed his ideas in public was largely a big put-on from which he derived great pleasure.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7dt22w1RHg


132 posted on 05/04/2018 7:13:39 AM PDT by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, if you can keep it.")
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Note: this topic is from 5/01/2018. Thanks SamAdams76.



133 posted on 07/11/2018 3:46:45 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (www.tapatalk.com/groups/godsgravesglyphs/, forum.darwincentral.org, www.gopbriefingroom.com)
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To: SamAdams76

The What If Question Genie.

Refresh to get a new question each time.

http://www.brucevanpatter.com/what_if_questions.php


134 posted on 07/11/2018 3:54:48 PM PDT by Alas Babylon! (MAGAMarchOnWashington.com)
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