Watching the moon is often a magic feeling for us human beings, and has been so since the early stoneage, independent of where we or our ancestors have lived on this Terra Firma which we call Earth. That celestial orb has been a guide, a deity for some, and is no doubt essential for all life here on Tellus. It influences us all and has modifed all life, including our ancestors and way long before that since time immemorial. It adjusts our planet’s orbit around the Sun, it influences the length of the days and nights here on Earth, it affects the moods of animals and some people, and it regulates the tide-waters of ebb and flow. How much have changed over time.
The most accepted theory among modern scientists today is that our moon was formed after an intense collission with our planet. Our solar system was very young and chaos ruled the infant galaxy and the other parts of space. About 4.5 billion years ago another planet which was about the size of Mars collided with the young lifeless Earth, and nearly destroyed both itself and Tellus. Our planet tilted and began leaning on its side and twist a bit around its own axes. Large parts of both planets were ripped apart and thrown into space. Eventually our Earth healed itself and collected the run-away pieces together. Other pieces from the destroyed planet and our Earth began forming itself too into a smaller planet – our moon. For a long time the moon was much closer to Earth and when our planet was covered with oceans etc that made the days here shorter than today, the seas much wilder, the waves much higher, and the winds much faster and stronger than today. That chaos also contributed to the development of the first simple lifeforms. Ca 3.8 billion years ago our solar system came in unbalance when suddenly Jupiter and Saturn shifted places and asteroids from the outer rim were thrown violently in all directions. Lots of them hit both our planet and the moon. The big “oceans” of magma on the moon which “quickly” cooled off were formed then. Later smaller asteroids and rocks have hit the moon and formed new smaller craters.This according to the new widespread Nice modell from 2005. Astronomers like James Head at the Brown University on Rhode Island, USA is one of many other brilliant minds which have developed these scrutinized modern theories.
Over the following millions and millions of years the moon moved further out from us, contributing to the stabilization here on our planet which is so important for our very existence. We got 24-hour days regulated by the moon, four seasons of the year, and “milder” tide-waters. The moon continues to move away from Earth and will in the next millions of years be barely visible from our precious Earth. As it is now the moon when it’s closest to Earth it is 384. 400 kilometres away, and as farthest 406. 700 kilometres from our planet. It circulates our planet in 27 days and rotates around its own axes also in 27 days, which makes us always see the same side of the moon. We never see the “backside” which is actually brighter lit because it’s closer to the Sun. The core of the moon is made of iron and is 300 kilometres big. The diametre of our Lunar neighbour is 3476 kilometres. The surface is covered with rocks and sand.
The moon affects us all. It is beautiful to look at and evokes feelings of awe, grandeur, humility for how small we are in the vast Universe, respect for its influence, and fear because of our ignorance and superstition. I like watching the moon and I too often am filled with some of these feelings, mostly with awe, humility and delight for its beauty. The moon is both a stabilizing life-giver, but also shifty, and there’s a reason for why some people lose their minds at full moon, La Luna, and become “lunatics”. All the same mostly our closest neighbour in space is a comforting factor. That is something that we too here on Earth ought to consider in our own behaviour. We are small, tiny creatures in the Universe. We are minute beings on a planet which we inhabit for a short while. We are many, we are both good and caring, but also stupid, evil, destructive, self-destructive and dumbfounded. We have inherited this Earth as a precious ground to love and cherish. If we could see ourselves from the moon what would we see? How would we percieve ourselves, what we do to ourselves, each other and the planet we live on? What can we take care of? How can we maybe take better care of ourselves and of each other? Do we want to contribute to our own undoing? Do we want a destroyed planet? Do we want a World War III with nuclear bombs? Do we want devious gas-attacks ordered by psychopathic maniacs, and a humanity in ruin? Of course not. So…What can be done? What can we do? How can we co-operate, love each other and save ourselves and other life forms? Why not then join “the man in the moon” and watch the spectacle from his point of view? Why not listen to the voices of reason? Why not listen to people who care and try to find good ways forward? Let us co-operate in a good way irrespective of gender, age, religious, social or political ideology. Let’s not be lunatics, but instead wise as “the man in the moon”.
Anders Moberg, July 25th 2013
swedish heart and soul 