What If The Moon Was Replaced By Other Planets?
Looking at a full moon in the night sky, one cannot help but fall in love with the view and to want to watch the heavenly object from a closer distance. The same happens to me all the time.
All the planets and their moons in our solar system are so far away that unless you own a really powerful telescope, you cannot see them at all. And even with a telescope, one cannot fully enjoy the beauty that they have to offer.
That is why, I sometimes like to imagine what these planets would look like from Earth, if they were closer, much closer. Say, at the distance of our moon. I know, if they were actually that close, the gravitational forces involved would be fatal.
That’s why we can only simulate what they would look like based on the data we have about them like their radius and the distance from the Earth to the Moon (384,400 kms).
So, without further adieu, let’s take a look at how our night sky would look like if our moon was replaced by other planets in our solar system. These photos were screenshotted off of a video made by YouTube user Yeti Dynamics. I have included the video at the end of this post.
Moon
For reference, this is how much of the night sky the moon occupies.
Mars
Let’s start with Mars. Mars, the red planet, with a radius of 3,390 km, is twice as large as the moon and it would definitely be noticeable.
Venus
Venus, the hottest planet in the solar system, is about 3.5 times larger than the moon with a radius of 6052 km and so, it would look much larger than the moon. This is what it would look like:
Neptune
Neptune is a large planet at a radius of 24,622 km and is 14 times larger than the Moon. This is where we would truly be in awe of the size of a heavenly object in the night sky. I think one would be aware of the presence of such a large object in the sky at all times!
Uranus
Uranus is only slightly larger than Neptune at a radius of 25,362 km, so not much difference there, but it has 9 bright rings which would be the main differentiator.
Jupiter
Ok, now we are talking BIG! Really big. At a radius of 69,911 km, Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. It is 40 times larger than the Moon and it’s presence in the sky would be totally a marvel.
If it were in place of our Moon, to us, it would feel as if we were the Moon of Jupiter and not the other way around.
Saturn
I have saved the best for the last. Although it is smaller in size than Jupiter, at a radius of 58,232 km, the rings surrounding Saturn, give it a much larger appearance that can almost span across your entire front view of the sky! Saturn truly is one of nature’s best creations!
If you want to see the planets come to life in the night sky, watch this 2 minute video, made by YouTube user Yeti Dynamics. There is a little bit of a surprise moment at 1:23 in the video.
So people don't even have to post original content?
We allowed to post non-original content as long as we have our own perspective to it and give credit properly. Overall, though original content is paramount!
No, it doesn't always have to be original content. Steemit is a social media platform just like others, only much better! :) So, you can share non-original, awesome content too!
What a cool idea to put them nearby like this so we can have a sense of the size... Luckily, they aren't nowhere near us... Could you imagine the tidal waves Saturn of Jupiter would create, not to mention the crust ripple itself!?!
Thanks for the charming views, namaste :)
yeah, it wouldn't be practical at all. But it's nice to imagine how they would look like near us. It also gives us an idea of how it would feel if we had evolved not on Earth but one of the moon's of Jupiter or Saturn. Space really is awe-inspiring :)
Will definately sneak a peak!!
Won't we all! :)
stunning
It is! Space and everything in it is simply breath taking. I only wish we can travel to space easily within our lifetime. We are missing out on a lot of beauty!
indeed
Great post!
Yupiter will collapse earth in seconds )
Thanks! :D
Yes, certainly! Jupiter is a beast.
If this was for real, it would be a once in a lifetime view.
Agreed!
Definitely, the timing of the tides will change.
Not only that, Earth would be subject to all sorts of instability due to the immense gravity of those big planets.
In Zagreb there is a replica of the Sun, a sculpture 2 m in diamtere, and all the planets in relative sizes and distance to it. You can go hunting all the planets all over the city. I plan on making a travel guide to find them all. I hope it will be fun and interesting
I don't know, I don't think it would be such a great thing looking up at the night sky and seeing youranus.