The Moon and the Earth

2min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

The Earth is tilted on its axis. 23 and a half degrees. This tilt is what makes the seasons. And in the winter, that same tilt away from the sun leads to cold, short days. The moon's mass and momentum as it orbits the Earth plays a big role in keeping that tilt steady.

In all our searching of the universe, we’ve never seen another moon like ours. It's big, it's weird, and it has played a huge role in shaping our planet. But how did we get it? Every possible story points to cataclysm.

This episode originally ran on June 15, 2022. It is part of our Lost Worlds series exploring scientific mysteries buried in the deep past.

For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable

It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the topics on our show.

Also, email us! unexplainable@vox.com

We read every email.

Support Unexplainable by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices