¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ

Space

Lunar loser

If the moon were to disappear, how long would it take for...

1 July 2015

If the moon were to disappear, how long would it take for the tides to stop?

Martin McCann, Worcester, UK

We pay £25 for every answer published in ¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ. To answer this question – or ask a new one – visit newscientist.com/lastword. Terms and conditions apply.

This article appeared in print under the headline “Lunar loser”

Topics:

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with ¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ events and special offers.

Sign up

More from ¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ

Explore the latest news, articles and features

Ice on Mercury

Space

Mercury may have gained all of its unexpected water in a single day

¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ

Space

The rings of Uranus are even stranger than we thought

¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ

artist's concept of comet 41P

Space

We’ve caught a comet switching its spin direction for the first time

¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ

Space

Earth may have formed from two separate rings around the sun

¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ

Popular articles

Trending ¿ìè¶ÌÊÓƵ articles

1

A golden age of maths is dawning and mathematicians are freaking out

2

Pancreatic cancer halted by virus injection in three patients

3

How human error became a weapon against large language models

4

Huge study of Alzheimer’s genetics identifies new drug targets

5

Capitalism has warped our understanding of ecology and life’s origins

6

Photons behave very strangely if you try to cut them

7

The best new science-fiction books of June 2026

8

Does gravity create reality? A shocking path to a theory of everything

9

Q-Day could destroy bitcoin – and our retirement savings

10

Geoengineering can thicken Arctic sea ice, but for how long?
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop