And if you are looking for something to blame for our overheated world, look no further than the Moon. 

A new study published in Paläontologische Zeitschrift by Rene Heller and colleagues reminds us that the early Moon was significantly closer to the Earth – closer than modern-day geostationary satellites – and that Moon would have raised tides of rock within our Earth, heating our planet similar to how Io is heated by Jupiter. This would have warmed our world from the inside at a time when the Sun was still too cool to warm it from the outside and could have given our planet a headstart on life. 

This paper has implications for other worlds as well. If Earth was made habitable by our Moon, does that mean early Venus and Mars, with their ocean climates, may not have been as well set up as Earth? For now, all we can do is hope that astrobiologists read this paper and publish answers quickly. When we know more, we’ll bring it to you here on the Daily Space.

More Information

How Much Did the Moon Heat Young Earth? (Eos)

“Habitability of the early Earth: liquid water under a faint young Sun facilitated by strong tidal heating due to a closer Moon,” René Heller et al., 2021 November 24, Paläontologische Zeitschrift