# What purpose does the Moon serve? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 16, 2004, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-purpose-does-the-moon-serve/234620 "2004-03-16T13:03:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-purpose-does-the-moon-serve/234620/21 "2004-03-16T16:15:15Z")
And that, **Starguard** , is commendable – you _are_ seeking learning so you have clarified your question. Others would have gotten all defensive after all the ribbing but you found learning amidst it all. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-purpose-does-the-moon-serve/234620/22 "2004-03-16T18:00:03Z")
[What If the Moon Didn’t Exist?: Voyages to Earths That Might Have Been, by Neil F. Comins](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060925566/qid=1079459671/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-8986047-6824041?v=glance&s=books). Interesting speculation on a variety of scenarios. But while the book came out several years ago and I don’t remember all the different paths earth could have taken, I’m sure that the OP’s talk about gravitational stabilization is exactly as much nonsense as the other posters have said it is. ---
**Author:** ![emarkp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3be4f8/32.png) [@emarkp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emarkp)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-purpose-does-the-moon-serve/234620/23 "2004-03-16T19:47:23Z")
> [@Starguard](#): > > This is a question I asked a while back that for some reason completely disappeared from this forum. Do you mean [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=243161)? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-purpose-does-the-moon-serve/234620/24 "2004-03-16T20:07:41Z")
This is the best reason for the moon that I have seen yet. 😃 [http://www.rathergood.com/moon\_song/](http://www.rathergood.com/moon_song/) ---
**Author:** ![Matchka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Matchka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matchka)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-purpose-does-the-moon-serve/234620/25 "2004-03-16T20:20:15Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > This is the best reason for the moon that I have seen yet. 😃 > > [We Like The Moon - the Spongmonkeys - By Joel Veitch rathergood.com, song by Joel and Alex Veitch](http://www.rathergood.com/moon_song/) I was debating it but had just decided to do that link. It is legend. ---
**Author:** ![Flash-57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/839c29/32.png) [@Flash-57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flash-57)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-purpose-does-the-moon-serve/234620/26 "2004-03-16T20:58:40Z")
> [@peterpeter](#): > > You cannot ask, “What is the purpose of the moon?”, since purpose implies intention Right. The real question you seem to be asking is, “What advantages does life on earth or the earth itself gain from our moon existing?” Also, “What differences would there be on earth if our moon just wandered away to revolve around some other heavenly body.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-purpose-does-the-moon-serve/234620.md?page=1)