The Moon grazing Earth's atmosphere

Hi all,
What would happen and what effects would impact us apart from losing most of if not all of Earth Geosynchronous Orbit and Low Earth Orbit satellites if the Moon was knocked into an orbit that caused it graze the atmosphere on a regular basis?

Significantly higher tides and flooding. Massive global earthquakes. Temperatures would cool for areas stuck in the moon's shadow. It would probably mess up the rotation of the earth. I would also venture to guess that the moon would likely crash into the earth as they'd attract one another regardless. So losing the atmosphere would be the least of our worries.

Thankfully, the moon is ever so slowly moving away from earth and will belong to the sun in a few million millennia.

a reply to: Conspiracyskeptic

Gravity would do all the work if the Moon came anywhere near that close to us.

It'd be game over for a bunch of reasons.

On the bright side, it'd finally silence the 'moon hoax' guys if the last thing they saw was the Apollo landing site.

originally posted by: Kandinsky
On the bright side, it'd finally silence the 'moon hoax' guys if the last thing they saw was the Apollo landing site.

It would make the flat earth folks right as well after the moon pancakes the earth.

originally posted by: EternalSolace

originally posted by: Kandinsky
On the bright side, it'd finally silence the 'moon hoax' guys if the last thing they saw was the Apollo landing site.

It would make the flat earth folks right as well after the moon pancakes the earth.

Lol

Definitely!

a reply to: Conspiracyskeptic

It did in the past actually, the moon used to be a rogue planet that collided with earth, the earth took most of the mass, then from then on they slowly are spinning apart. This is why the moon is 2/3 the mass of the earth yet has no magnetic field, most of the heavy metals stayed with the larger center of mass, earth, and helped form our core, which through our magnetic fields protects us. nasa has already said that the moon is moving slowly away from earth. It's not much per year, but over millions of years it is significant. There is also rumor that this is why we had increased volcanism and plate tectonics back in the day, but it won't go there. Needless to say, the moon is moving away from us, not toward us.

Camain

I'm afraid that the moon could never orbit our planet that close of a distance. It would be torn to shreds due to the Roche Limit.

Basically, unless the moon were to magically appear at that orbital distance, it would have to slowly move closer in by spiraling in. Right now it's spiraling out very slowly. About 2 inches a year.

But let's say a huge impact by another body and the moon reversed that and caused it to spiral in, and at a faster rate.

For the Earth, once the moon got under 10,000 km of the Earth, it would be ripped apart by tidal forces, so it would not get close enough to graze our atmosphere while still intact.

However, prior to getting there, by being so close it would have tidal effects on the Earth due to it's large size also. We'd have huge ocean tides, flooding all cities close to the coast lines. More frequent earthquakes as the Earth's crust is pulled on also by a much stronger tidal force than the moon does now.

Upon reaching the Roche Limit, the moon would shatter, and the Earth would have a rocky ring about it for a while. However, some of those rocky pieces would continue to move inward and could impact with the Earth.

originally posted by: eriktheawful
Upon reaching the Roche Limit, the moon would shatter, and the Earth would have a rocky ring about it for a while.

It would be a beautiful sight if anyone should survive to see the earth with rings.

All pictures from the following source:
Hypothetical Pics: If Earth Had Rings Like Saturn

originally posted by: EternalSolace
Temperatures would cool for areas stuck in the moon's shadow.

Not to nitpick, but there would be no place on Earth that would be "stuck" in the moon's shadow...there would just be some places that would experience a solar eclipse every day.

Thankfully, the moon is ever so slowly moving away from earth and will belong to the sun in a few million millennia.

Yep, but the OP's question was what if it were knocked into our atmosphere...but I think any heavenly collision that could do that would destroy the moon, or at least a large portion of it. Then maybe Earth would have a ring system

originally posted by: camain
a reply to: Conspiracyskeptic

It did in the past actually, the moon used to be a rogue planet that collided with earth, the earth took most of the mass, then from then on they slowly are spinning apart. This is why the moon is 2/3 the mass of the earth yet has no magnetic field, most of the heavy metals stayed with the larger center of mass, earth, and helped form our core, which through our magnetic fields protects us. nasa has already said that the moon is moving slowly away from earth. It's not much per year, but over millions of years it is significant. There is also rumor that this is why we had increased volcanism and plate tectonics back in the day, but it won't go there. Needless to say, the moon is moving away from us, not toward us.

Camain

Wow sounds really cool, maybe too cool

Got any evidence

Why didnt it form rings like saturn has, why is the moon so close if the earth is so old.

Got any evidence, I would be interested

originally posted by: Conspiracyskeptic
Hi all,
What would happen and what effects would impact us apart from losing most of if not all of Earth Geosynchronous Orbit and Low Earth Orbit satellites if the Moon was knocked into an orbit that caused it graze the atmosphere on a regular basis?

It would hit earth and that's game over.The moon could never get that close without impact.

a reply to: borntowatch

Because after the impacts, the remains of the planet (Thea I believe it was called) and the material ejected from the Earth were above that Roche Limit I mentioned in my post above. This allowed the moon to form.

That Roche Limit? It's why Saturn has rings. When you look at Saturn's rings, you're seeing moons that could not form or that have been shattered. The limit is dependent upon the size of the planet (or star).

originally posted by: eriktheawful
a reply to: borntowatch

Because after the impacts, the remains of the planet (Thea I believe it was called) and the material ejected from the Earth were above that Roche Limit I mentioned in my post above. This allowed the moon to form.

That Roche Limit? It's why Saturn has rings. When you look at Saturn's rings, you're seeing moons that could not form or that have been shattered. The limit is dependent upon the size of the planet (or star).

I understand the theory, find it a little hard to believe thats all

How could it impact then eject from the earth and leave no debris to form rings, and what evidence

how did the Roche limit allow the moon to form

Surely a collision that great would have left debris to form rings, no?

I understand the Roche limit, not the theory of a perfectly proportioned moon at the perfect distance for life.

it is the perfect distance for life, if it did move we would lose all seasons regularity

originally posted by: Conspiracyskeptic
Hi all,
What would happen and what effects would impact us apart from losing most of if not all of Earth Geosynchronous Orbit and Low Earth Orbit satellites if the Moon was knocked into an orbit that caused it graze the atmosphere on a regular basis?

Roche Limit. That is all.

eta: I see someone already said it. It's the truth.

If you got the Moon that close, you'd have a Roche failure of either the Moon or the Earth or both, and that would be that.

If you got it a lot closer but still outside, then you'd have horrific tides. The crust would heat. Lots of earthquakes, biblical disasters, the end of all life.

Other than that, it'd be fine.

originally posted by: borntowatch

I understand the theory, find it a little hard to believe thats all

Roche limits are basic astrophysics.

Surely a collision that great would have left debris to form rings, no?

Perhaps it did, and that's why you see the Moon (and Earth, if not for weather) so cratered.

I understand the Roche limit, not the theory of a perfectly proportioned moon at the perfect distance for life.

it is the perfect distance for life, if it did move we would lose all seasons regularity

Well, it's not theory, there it is.

Seasons are caused by axial tilt, not the Moon.

It's not a certainty that life requires a very large Moon to form, either.

But, of course, if it does, then only planets with large satellites would form life, and the others would not. So you'd only have creatures asking "wow, what a coincidence that we have a moon that is just right for EeEpzorgian life!", because only those planets WOULD have life. So it's a tautology.

a reply to: EternalSolace

Those pictures look like either chem-trails, an active SDI uplink or Sun Dogs.

originally posted by: eriktheawful
a reply to: borntowatch

Because after the impacts, the remains of the planet (Thea I believe it was called) and the material ejected from the Earth were above that Roche Limit I mentioned in my post above. This allowed the moon to form.

That Roche Limit? It's why Saturn has rings. When you look at Saturn's rings, you're seeing moons that could not form or that have been shattered. The limit is dependent upon the size of the planet (or star).

Yes it is called Theia, and to be a Mars sized object, but still and all it's a hypothesis albeit a good one.

A good simulation of what would happen:

a reply to: Conspiracyskeptic

We would all die.