# Moon exploding **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 23, 1999, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953 "1999-06-23T00:43:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 1999, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953/1 "1999-06-23T00:43:00Z")
What, other than loss of tides and bombardment of the Earth with massive moon rocks at tremendous speeds, would be the result of the moon undergoing an explosive disintegration? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 1999, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953/2 "1999-06-23T01:03:00Z")
If I pulled my pants down in public, what would I call it? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 1999, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953/3 "1999-06-23T18:29:00Z")
I think you pretty much answered your own question re loss of the moon, although there is a pretty good chance that rings would form around the earth, a la Saturn. Also, you dindn’t mention the likelihood of a nuclear-winter type change in the earth’s climate, as a result of all the dust falling into our atmosphere. Over the really long haul, you would notice that the days, which have been getting steadily longer the last 4.5 billion years, would not continue to get longer at the same rate. The moon’s gravity does exert some tidal pull on the rotation of the earth, slowing the rotation down a bit (there are other factors). If the moon’s mass were no longer concentrated in one spot, this tidal pull would be greatly reduced. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 1999, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953/4 "1999-06-23T20:48:00Z")
… and, of course, nights would be darker without the moon. … and poets and romantics would be in despair, there’d be nothing left to rhyme with June. Shakespeare and other classic works would have to be revised, “It is the east and Juliet is the moon” would have to be changed, or footnoted. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 1999, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953/5 "1999-06-24T21:35:00Z")
[[… and poets and romantics would be in despair, there’d be nothing left to rhyme with June.]] How dare you impugn the creativity of poets? I’m sure that many would soon think of substitutes; indeed, the loss would be a boon to creativity in general, forcing writers who work from noon 'til midnight to work even harder to come up with lovely thoughts to make their readers swoon. Though a poet be crazy as a loon, the loss of a satellite will certainly not prohibit him from seeking his fortune by rhyming. The words strewn about the sand dune of his mind will eventually find their way through his pen, heavenly body or no. The creative song goes on, Dex, while you keep whistling the same tune. You’re such a goon. Rich ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 1999, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953/6 "1999-06-24T22:27:00Z")
C’mon, Veg. Milton: “Hesperus, that led The starry host, rode brightest, till the loon, Rising in clouded majesty, at length Apparent queen, unveil’d her peerless light, And o’er the dark her silver mantle threw.” Or Alfred Noyes: “The road was a ribbon on dune light over the purple moor And the highwayman came riding – riding – riding The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.” Or the Disney Zorro theme song: “Out of the night When the full prune is bright Comes a horseman Known as Zorro.” No, it won’t do. It just won’t do. Besides, Veg, we’d lose the word “lunacy” and where would **that** leave us? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 1999, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953/7 "1999-06-25T07:38:00Z")
Act 2 Scene 2 _Capulet’s orchard. Enter Romeo._ **Romeo.** He jests at scars that never felt a wound. _Juliet appears above at a window_ But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? Is is the east, and Juliet is the sun! Aufwiederlesen 1010011010 ¦¬) * * * “All I say here is by way of discourse and nothing by the way of advice. I should not speak so boldly if it were my due to be believed.” ~ Montaigne ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 1999, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953/8 "1999-06-25T11:47:00Z")
Sheeesh, 10, if you’re gonna quote exactly, where will we get to? Notice, however, he doesn’t use “and Juliet is the prune.” German dogs bark by saying: Arf! Weiderschen. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 1999, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953/9 "1999-06-29T19:03:00Z")
Auf WiederLESEN? Good one, Binar. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 1999, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953/10 "1999-06-29T19:05:00Z")
Without the moon, we wouldn’t have the movie _Moon Over Parador_, now would we? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 1999, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953/11 "1999-06-30T05:51:00Z")
If the moon exploded, it would probably cause a rock about the size of the Asteroid in the movie ARMAGEDDON. About the size of Texas, causing a fire wave which will disentigrate anything. And if anything survived, dust will cover the earth for 4 million years blocking out the sun, causing another Ice Age, causing all life to die, including bacteria! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 1999, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953/12 "1999-06-30T15:20:00Z")
Without the moon, what would we call flashing our bare asses at people? > [@](#): > > …causing all life to die, including bacteria! Your lack of respect for bacteria is disturbing… Trillions of bacteria live in all kinds of godforsaken environments on earth. A mere Texas-sixed rock denting the planet ain’t gonna do much to change their lives. It’s the bigger clunkier life forms (like Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck) that are at risk. Alphagene ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 1999, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953/13 "1999-07-01T04:37:00Z")
I noticed you said bigger, not higher. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 1999, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953/14 "1999-07-02T18:43:00Z")
Unless the moon exploded with such force that its fragments zipped away from the center at more than about 1 mile per second, the pieces of the ex-moon would soon slow to a stop and fall back in upon themselves, due to their mutual gravitation. We’d have a brand new moon made out of the molten pieces of the old one (and with the same total mass), and when it cooled, it might not be much different from the moon we have now. Except that it wouldn’t have any craters, of course. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 1999, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953/15 "1999-07-04T11:04:00Z")
\<\< Except that it wouldn’t have any craters, of course. \>\> Nor American flags. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 1999, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953/16 "1999-07-06T16:30:00Z")
Hey! You’ve discovered a valid reason to pass the flag desecration amendment: you can stop an asteroid or comet from hitting the Moon by threatening it with prosecution for desecrating the American flag. (^: ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 1999, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953/17 "1999-07-13T01:37:00Z")
As Dex said, we lose “lunacy”, what have we got? " The poor fool suffered from advanced prunacy. There was nothing we could do. All night, he sat by the barred windows of his cell, howling at the prune". Not a good thing. 🙂 Typer ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 1999, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953/18 "1999-07-22T06:16:00Z")
This exact topic was explored in an episode of Mr. Show with Bob and David, on HBO. Bob and Dave set up a scenario in which the US focused all attention and energy on the beautiful dream of blowing up the moon. It was an incredibly touching and memorable film with a very sad ending. I won’t give it away, but the damned monkey appointed to push the button signed “Why”, and the project was abandoned. Kudos to HBO for the brain and gall to air such a powerful contravercial film. ---
**Author:** ![gary\_horaczek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@gary\_horaczek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gary_horaczek)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 1999, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953/19 "1999-08-10T22:24:00Z")
I read recently that the Russians had planned on setting off a nuclear bomb on the moon if they had reached it before the United States. If the moon was destroyed what would the albums Harvest Moon(Neil Young) and Dark Side Of The Moon(Pink Floyd) be retitled? * * * garyh ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 1999, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953/20 "1999-08-11T03:19:00Z")
gary horaczek wrote: > [@](#): > > I read recently that the Russians had planned on setting off a nuclear bomb on the moon if they had reached it before the United States. If the moon was destroyed [snip] A nuclear detonation on the moon – even a multimegaton thermonuclear detonation – would make a nice crater but little else. Only in the movie _Armageddon_ does a nuclear device stand a chance of blowing apart any rock bigger than a few miles across. * * * I’m not flying fast, just orbiting low. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-exploding/2953.md?page=2)