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New Scientist Podcasts

Dead Planets Society: #7 Halve the Moon

Oct 10, 2023
Leah and Chelsea discuss the idea of destroying the moon with astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell and Haym Benaroya. They explore methods such as splitting it with lasers, explosives, and space tugs, and discuss the consequences of having moon fragments orbiting Earth. They also explore the impact of having two moons on tides and the visual aesthetics of the night sky.
24:46

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The moon's brightness interferes with ground-based observing of deep space.
  • Various methods of destroying the moon were discussed, including explosives, lasers, and collisions with other celestial objects.

Deep dives

Hating the Moon

The podcast explores why Leah wants to destroy the moon, mentioning the moon's brightness interfering with ground-based observing of deep space.

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