Can the earth survive with two moons?
If Earth had two moons, it would be catastrophic. An extra moon would lead to larger tides and wipe out major cities like New York and Singapore. The extra pull of the moons would also slow down the Earth's rotation, causing the day to get longer.
Although the Moon is Earth's only natural satellite, there are a number of near-Earth objects (NEOs) with orbits that are in resonance with Earth. These have been called "second" moons of Earth or "minimoons".
It's unlikely that three large moons of equal mass orbiting a planet like Earth would be able to form a stable system. The extra moons would probably be ejected or collide - in which case we might end up with a planetary ring after a lengthy period of bombardment where bits of moon fell to Earth.
Without a moon the tilt of our earth's axis would vary over time. This could create some very wild weather. Right now, thanks to our moon, our axis stays tilted at twenty-three point five degrees. But without the moon the earth might tilt too far over or hardly tilt at all leading to no seasons or even extreme seasons.
The gravitational pull of the moon moderates Earth's wobble, keeping the climate stable. That's a boon for life. Without it, we could have enormous climate mood swings over billions of years, with different areas getting extraordinarily hot and then plunging into long ice ages.
If our planet were to lose gravity for even five seconds, it would spell the end of life on Earth as we know it. Gravity pulls objects toward one another. The more massive an object is, the stronger its gravitational pull.
The earliest life on Earth might have been just as purple as it is green today, a scientist claims. Ancient microbes might have used a molecule other than chlorophyll to harness the Sun's rays, one that gave the organisms a violet hue.
Of the terrestrial (rocky) planets of the inner solar system, neither Mercury nor Venus have any moons at all, Earth has one and Mars has its two small moons. In the outer solar system, the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn and the ice giants Uranus and Neptune have dozens of moons.
Scientists believe the Earth did have a ring system in the past. Very early in its history a Mars-sized object collided with the Earth, probably resulting in a dense ring of debris. However, unlike the outer planets, Earth's ring system soon coalesced to form the Moon.
In the Solar System's habitable zone, there are only three natural satellites—the Moon, and Mars's moons Phobos and Deimos (although some estimates show Mars and its moons to be slightly outside the habitable zone) —none of which sustain an atmosphere or water in liquid form.
Would Earth survive if the moon disappeared?
Without the Moon stabilising our tilt, it is possible that the Earth's tilt could vary wildly. It would move from no tilt (which means no seasons) to a large tilt (which means extreme weather and even ice ages).
Without a moon the tilt of our earth's axis would vary over time. This could create some very wild weather. Right now, thanks to our moon, our axis stays tilted at twenty-three point five degrees. But without the moon the earth might tilt too far over or hardly tilt at all leading to no seasons or even extreme seasons.
If it were gone tomorrow, the tides wouldn't totally vanish, but they'd be much less impressive. The tides we enjoy today get about two-thirds of their movement from the Moon. On a moonless Earth, the oceans would still move beneath the sway of the Sun's gravity, but it would be much smaller.