What would happen if the Moon just vanished?
483617
Neat Question!!!!\n\nHere's your answer:\n\nIf the Moon disappeared then the tides would reduce in strength by about two thirds. There would still be tides, because the Sun causes tides, too (see the Conjunctions Page). \n\nThe Moon keeps the angle between the rotation axis of the Earth and the plane of the orbit of the Earth within a fairly narrow range, so that the strength of the seasons cannot differ too much from its current value. If the Moon disappeared, then the inclination of the rotation axis of the Earth would vary much more over periods of thousands of years and could get much further away from the upright position, with corresponding greater differences between summer and winter, and hence with great influence on the climate, such as Mars has experienced (without any large moon). See http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1993Natur.361..615L, http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2002A%26A...384..689E and http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0112399 (for http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2001EM%26P...85...61B). \n\nI've heard of kinds of animals that synchronize some rhythms of their lives with the phases of the Moon, and the sudden disappearance of the Moon could cause trouble for them. I believe I've heard of some kinds of turtles that come to lay their eggs on the beach at a certain Full Moon, and that the nightlife of deer and similar animals takes the phase of the Moon into account. In any case, fishermen and hunters seem to take the phase of the Moon into account, but perhaps that is because they would like to be able to see something at night. I am not a biologist, fisherman, or hunter, so I do not know the details of this. \n\nIt is highly unlikely that the Moon will just disappear. Only the very close passage of a celestial object of the size of a planet could wrench the Moon from the grip of the Earth's gravity, and such an event could also change the orbit of the Earth itself markedly, so then the disappearance of the Moon might not be the most important thing. Calculations of the future of the orbits of the planets show that such an event will not happen during the coming thousands of millions of years (at least not with one of the other planets of our Solar System as the disturbing object). See http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2002MNRAS.336..483I and http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1996CeMDA..64..115L.
368466
it would disappear... (as per the the current physiscs theory we have..)  it would go to the future :)
239488
Predictions suggest that the range will increase until the Earth and Moon become double synchronised, that is, both are tidally locked to one another. The Earth-Moon distance would then be about 550000km. This won't occur for something like 50 billion years. Before then, though, our Sun will have died, and both the Earth and Moon almost certainly won't even exist.\n\nThis website for answer confirmation and more info  -->http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/apr2002/1020171327.As.r.html\n\nGod is spelled B-I-G B-A-N-G\nPBrax@netscape.com
164369
First, the ocean tides would be significantly less noticeable (the sun also acts minutely on the ocean tides).  Second, it would be rather dark at night.  Third, the calendar would be much different from the way we know it now since a month was based loosely around the lunar cycle.\n\nMuch of history would also be different since many civilizations used the moon to define timer periods.  The Apollo space program would not have happened.  It is even questionable whether the climate on our planet might have been different without the moon.
678509
I would guess that it would slow down as some water is redistributed toward the equator.  This slowing would be imperceptable without the use of atomic clocks.  It would also be affected in another way.\nThe effect of the moon's gravity on the oceans is causing the rotation of the earth to slow.  Kind of a drag.  One day, the earth and moon will be in locked step, with the moon in the same place in the sky 24 hours a day.
496211
The leavings would have no mass, no length, no width, no depth, no measurements of any kind and there would be no beings in existence, sentient or otherwise,  to perceive this lack of existence so nothing would be here not even here would be here. It would be nowhere.
314191
Don't you think someone would notice if millions of humans suddenly simultaneously disappeared?
384596
No and Yes.\n\nThe moon is orbiting the Earth more slowly than the Earth is rotating.  It falls behind a little every day.  About 56 minutes behind.  So if tonight the Moon rises over the mountains at 8:00pm, tomorrow it will rise over the mountains at 8:56pm.  (thats the No)\n\nIn pretty much the same place. (There's your Yes)
97095
There is not much on the moon that would allow much in the line of chemical reaction.  Other than meteoriod bombarding its surface, intense radiation from solar flares may modify the surface chemistry a bit.  It definitely creates a static charge on the loose lunar soil so it would cling to the astronauts' (who walked on the moon) space suits.  Some of the astronauts commented that the moon dust smelled almost like gunpowder.\n\nFor sure, the moon will not change into green cheese anytime soon...unless you have and infinite improbability drive...then anything is possibe (or improbable)
1149892
The moon will not escape Earth orbit. It is currently moving away from us at only 38 mm/year, due to energy transferred by tidal forces. The energy transfer is also causing Earth's day to become longer (currently it is increasing by 15 microseconds each year).\n\nTheoretically, the moon's orbit would increase until the Earth's day slows to match the Moon's orbital period. After this point, solar tides will dominate and the Moon will start moving closer to Earth.\n\nBefore this happens, the Sun will become a red giant (5 billion years from now).
712286
The moon does not rotate. If it did you would see ocean tides that would destroy everything on the coasts of all the nations on earth that exist next to the oceans. Imagine waves coming fast and furious that are over a mile high every time they hit the beach. And because of the disruptive nature of the moons pull on the oceans, no one would be traveling to other countries by ship, because the tides would sink a ship before it got out of sight.
489609
Not havieng a moon would not have affected the lengh of the day.  The moon doesn't play an important part in the lengh of the day anyway.
584313
No. And the loss of their satelites would be temporary at best. They could just rocket up new ones.
101481
the tidings of the sea would stop existing, and basically everything containing water (including the human body) would OR die, OR very urgently have to adapt! Mmmm, no, we'd die. Even female menstruation depends on the moon...
803379
We wouldn't know how fast the moon is moving away from Earth.
81565
It disappeared, maybe?
1141290
that would be a sign of the apocolypse and earth would be hit by an astroid and all man (and woman) kind would be exterminated\n\n:-(