Moon, Sun and Jupiter As Earth's Protectors
The massive and powerful impact of the collision was essential for the existence of Earth and for it to be able function the way it is today. The expansion of the core was crucial to Earth. It is because of our powerful inner core that we have a strong magnetic field that protects the Earth’s surface from harmful particles and rays coming from space. Without its magnetic field to protect us from particles and rays coming from space, human life might never had been able to develop.
Another consequence of the collision was the creation of an astronomical body that still till this day orbits the Earth, our moon. Our moon played a vital role in the origin of life. The moon’s gravitational pull has been, and still is affecting the movement of the oceans by causing them to rise and fall creating tides. Because of this, water levels rose and receded. After receding, many organisms were left stranded. They thus had to adapt to live outside of the oceans, on land, and so they did through evolution. Although it still would have been possible for this to happen without the moon, without its influence on the geological activity of water, the evolution of complex life wouldn’t have been as fast as it was.
The moon’s gravity also slows down the speed of Earth’s rotation which is crucial since if the Earth rotation would have been faster, our days would have been shorter. Shorter days would have led to less time for the sun to heat the surface of the Earth. The moon thus plays its part in stabilizing the temperature of the Earth. It also keeps the Earth’s orbit stable. The moon’s gravitational pull grants stability to the orbit of the Earth by keeping it in place.
The moon is perfectly placed for its gravitational pull to affect the Earth by keeping it stable and controlling water tides as said before. It is also larger than other moons, which allows it to do this. The Sun is also perfectly placed to heat our Earth the right amount. If it would have been further away, the Earth would be too cold for complex life to form, because of a deadly freezing climate. If it would have been closer, Earth would suffer from extreme heat that would damage us as well as boil away our water. The lifespan of our sun has also been crucial. It took billions of years for complex life to evolve, and without the long lifespan of the sun, it wouldn’t be able to survive through those years to keep our planet warm enough. Jupiter works as the protective shield of Earth. Thanks to its great gravitational pull, projectiles roaming space hit Jupiter instead of the Earth. Without this protection, the Earth would have been under constant meteorite impact, a setting where it is unlikely for complex life to have been able to evolve.
So we can say that Earth’s position is perfect and it can therefor reap the rewards of the Moon, Sun and Jupiter.
