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Why would the Theia collision mean that we're at the lower bound of mass for a habitable planet? What does the moon do that would be compensated for by having a
by hdevalence 11y ago
Why would the Theia collision mean that we're at the lower bound of mass for a habitable planet? What does the moon do that would be compensated for by having a larger planet?
- panglott 11y agoIt's not the moon itself, it's the molten core of Earth that generates the magentosphere that protects our atmosphere. A larger planet is likelier to have a molten core.
- spdustin 11y agoIt's thought that the collision resulted in a larger metal core, increasing the strength of our magnetosphere and thus our protection from ionized solar particles. As well, the moon slows our rotation and evens out the procession of our axis, which results in milder seasonal climate changes. The moon also caused tides which increased the environmental pressures on water-based life forms living in tidal pools to evolve to live amphibiously.