# Could we blow up the moon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 7, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013 "2012-09-07T17:27:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013/81 "2012-09-17T00:57:20Z")
We’re just damn lucky Buzz Aldrin left it alone. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013/82 "2012-09-17T02:49:37Z")
Nobody’s mentioned that you can accomplish this at any photo studio? ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013/83 "2012-09-17T21:14:12Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Some years ago, maybe 30 years ago, a man named Smbat (Alexander) Abian proposed blowing up the moon in order to create a ring around the earth so that we could have 24 hour daylight. To call him a nutjob would be an understatement. I knew him personally. He is deceased so libel is not an issue. His daughter uselessly threatened me with a libel suit after I went into some detail on another site. By coincidence I ran across this reference to Abian yesterday [http://james-nicoll.livejournal.com/3961445.html](http://james-nicoll.livejournal.com/3961445.html) ---
**Author:** ![Mavic\_Chen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mavic\_Chen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mavic_Chen)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013/84 "2012-09-18T15:23:04Z")
I read of one planet in the seventh dimension got used as a ball in a game of intergalactic bar billiards. Got potted straight into a black hole, killed ten billion people. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2012, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013/85 "2012-10-22T16:23:38Z")
> [@Michael63129](#): > > I just had a silly thought - what if we could make a super strong rope (out of carbon nanotubes or something) and attach one end to the Moon and the other end to the Earth, so that it would wrap itself around the Earth as it rotated and gradually draw the Moon inwards. It seems as it it would work if the rope could be made strong enough, as per Wikipedia, the rotational energy of Earth is about 5.5 times higher than the Moon’s orbital energy (the day would end up being several hours shorter, not that it would matter after the Moon crashes). The moon would never reach the earth. The rope would slow down the earth day and, as it wrapped, pull the moon down into a faster orbit until the two sychronized. Currently, I think the geostationary altitude is around 22000 miles, slowing the earth’s rotation would increase that altitude (rendering all our TV satellites useless). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013/86 "2012-10-22T16:33:45Z")
Are we doing this stuff before or after we put an atmosphere on the moon? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2012, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013/87 "2012-10-22T23:40:51Z")
If you could actually bring the moon to a rest on earth, not crashing but making firm contact, would gravity crush the moon or pull it into the earth (which is pretty gooey inside)? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013/88 "2012-10-23T00:19:44Z")
> [@For You](#): > > If you could actually bring the moon to a rest on earth, not crashing but making firm contact, would gravity crush the moon or pull it into the earth (which is pretty gooey inside)? They would ooze together and ultimately form a single, larger sphere. Most likely, the gravitational energy release would remelt or even vaporize the crusts of the earth and moon, killing everything. Even if that weren’t the case, they would still flow into each other–even solid rock is essentially a liquid at these scales. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2012, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013/89 "2012-10-23T03:55:17Z")
> [@For You](#): > > If you could actually bring the moon to a rest on earth, not crashing but making firm contact, would gravity crush the moon or pull it into the earth (which is pretty gooey inside)? One of the requirements for a planet is for it to be rounded by its own gravity. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013/90 "2012-10-24T07:33:46Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > One of the requirements for a planet is for it to be rounded by its own gravity. Yes, but how quickly would it happen? ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2012, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013/91 "2012-10-24T07:38:46Z")
For your pleasure: [http://what-if.xkcd.com/13/](http://what-if.xkcd.com/13/) tldr: go read it, it’s fun ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013/92 "2012-10-25T00:55:26Z")
Well, first, you need to create an anti-moon… ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013/93 "2012-10-25T01:20:03Z")
Of all the methods on [http://qntm.org/destroy#sec3](http://qntm.org/destroy#sec3) I think the microscopic black hole one has the most potential. We can just keep building larger and larger particle accelerators on the moon, the easy access to vacuum and stable geological base will be a great help. Get the energies high enough and we can probably create a black hole eventually, work out a method of feeding it so that it doesn’t evaporate straight away from Hawking radiation then wait. Eventually we’ll have a black hole with an event horizon about 0.1 mm (2_G_(mass of earth)/c^2) orbiting the earth. Since it will have the same mass as the moon it won’t effect tides or our climate AND we can potentially use it as an energy source(extracting energy from a rotating black hole is left as an exercise for the reader). It’s a Win-Win situation! I say we start now, give it the same funding as the Iraq war for the next 100 years and we should be done by 2100. A bargain to finally get rid of that blight in our skies that’s haunted us since the dawn of time! ---
**Author:** ![Qwertol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Qwertol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertol)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013/94 "2012-10-25T01:33:00Z")
I have no time to read all posts so someone may already suggested it - are we capable of steering some asteroid (with nuclear blasts or whatever) into collision course with the moon to make it blow it up for us? ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013/95 "2012-10-25T01:38:22Z")
coremelt… I just wanted to say… I love you. That post was awesomesauce in a can. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013/96 "2012-10-25T01:42:19Z")
We get a team of THE best goddamn demolition experts on the planet. We outfit and ready our three remaining, but now defunct, Space Shuttles and super glue them into one, giant Mega Shuttle. After loading its cargo bay with specially designed lunar shapped charges. We blast this crew off on this juggernaught, and… Wait. This can’t work. The shuttle wouldn’t be able to land with no atmosphere. Damn, and it seemed so promising! ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013/97 "2012-10-25T01:46:30Z")
> [@Qwertol](#): > > I have no time to read all posts so someone may already suggested it - are we capable of steering some asteroid (with nuclear blasts or whatever) into collision course with the moon to make it blow it up for us? You would find some nice, big comets, many billions of miles away, and play billiards with it, using a perfect ballistic trajectory that’ll alter its course to a very tiny, but significantly accumulative degree many years later so they’ll collide with he moon.\* \*Chances of hitting the earth are high. Do this at your own risk. ---
**Author:** ![Qwertol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Qwertol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertol)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013/98 "2012-10-25T01:52:02Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > You would find some nice, big comets, many billions of miles away, and play billiards with it, using a perfect ballistic trajectory that’ll alter its course to a very tiny, but significantly accumulative degree many years later so they’ll collide with he moon.\* > \*Chances of hitting the earth are high. Do this at your own risk. Well, no risk, no fun! ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013/99 "2012-10-25T01:58:25Z")
> [@Qwertol](#): > > I have no time to read all posts so someone may already suggested it - are we capable of steering some asteroid (with nuclear blasts or whatever) into collision course with the moon to make it blow it up for us? No because a) we don’t have the capability to actually alter the course of an asteroid in nuclear blasts and B) even if we did we could bombard the moon with asteroids for millions of years and have virtually no effect on its orbit or structural integrity. You would need to hit the moon with something substantially bigger which was a significant fraction of it’s mass. Europa or Triton would do the job, figuring out how to move them is your problem. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013/100 "2012-10-25T02:03:06Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > No because a) we don’t have the capability to actually alter the course of an asteroid in nuclear blasts and B) even if we did we could bombard the moon with asteroids for millions of years and have virtually no effect on its orbit or structural integrity. > > You would need to hit the moon with something substantially bigger which was a significant fraction of it’s mass. Europa or Triton would do the job, figuring out how to move them is your problem. That’s easy! You just have to move Jupiter (or Neptune). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-blow-up-the-moon/634013.md?page=6)