Each year it drifts an estimated 1.5 inches further away from Earth.

月球每年飄離地球約 1.5 英吋

And in the process, Earth's rotation is actually slowing down.

過程中，地球的自轉正慢下來

What if one night the moon simply disappeared?

如果有一晚月亮整個消失了呢？

Would we miss it?

我們會想念月亮嗎？

A full moon is on average 14,000 times brighter than the next brightest night sky object, Venus.

滿月平均比夜空中第二亮的物體，也就是金星，還要亮一萬四千倍

Without it, every night would be as dark as a new moon and stargazing would be spectacular.

少了月亮，每晚會像新月時那麼暗，觀星肯定很壯觀

But by the next morning, you'd begin to realize just how important the moon is for life on Earth.

但到了隔天，你會開始發現月亮對地球上的生命有多重要

To start, between the sun, Earth's rotation, and the moon, the moon has the largest influence on Earth's tides.

在太陽、地球自轉以及月球之中，月球對地球潮汐有最大的影響力

Without it, high and low tides would shrink by an estimated 75%.

少了它，高潮和低潮會縮減約百分之七十五

This would jeopardize the lives of many types of crabs, mussels, and sea snails that live in tidal zones

這會危及居住於潮間帶的各種螃蟹、貽貝，和海螺

and disrupt the diets of larger animals who rely on them for food, threatening entire coastal ecosystems in the process.

並破壞依賴這些生物為食的大型動物進食，進而對整個沿海生態系統構成威脅

Within a few decades, we would start to see mass population declines in the sea and on land.

幾十年內，海洋和陸地會有大型生物數量衰退

One of the largest spawning events in the world occurs in the Great Barrier Reef.

其中一個世界上最大的產卵活動發生於大堡礁

Each November in the days following the light of a full moon,

每年 11 月，滿月過後的幾天

coral colonies across the Reef, spanning an area larger than the state of New Mexico,

橫跨面積超過新墨西哥州的大堡礁珊瑚礁群

release millions of egg and sperm sacks within nearly minutes of one another.

在幾分鐘內釋放百萬個卵子與精子囊

Scientists are certain that the full moon plays a role in the timing, but exactly how remains a mystery.

科學家確定滿月在時間上扮演重要角色，至於為什麼則仍是謎團

On land, animals like these red crabs also use lunar cues to reproduce.

在陸地上，這些紅蟹，也因循月亮週期進行繁殖

After living most of their lives on the mountains, millions of adult crabs migrate down to shore

在山裡生活大半輩子後，百萬隻成年螃蟹下移到海岸邊

and then only during the last quarter of the moon, females release their eggs into the sea.

只有在下弦月期間，雌蟹才會排卵至海中

Now, the moon may not hold as much sway over human reproduction,

月亮可能對人類繁衍並沒有那麼大的影響

but without it, something we care equally about would change, the weather.

但少了它，我們同樣在乎的氣候也會改變

Tides and tidal currents help mix cold, Arctic waters with warmer waters in the tropics.

潮汐和洋流有助於混和寒冷的北極水域與熱帶較溫暖的水域

This balances temperatures and stabilizes the climate worldwide.

這幫助平衡全球溫度與穩定氣候

Without the moon, weather forecasts would be practically impossible.

少了月亮，幾乎不可能進行天氣預報

The average difference between the hottest and coldest places on Earth could grow to life-threatening extremes,

地球最高溫與最低溫地區的平均溫差，可能會增長成威脅生命的極端數字

but none of this compares to the biggest change that we would have coming over the next millennium.

但這些都不能和下一個千禧年我們將迎來的最大挑戰相比

Right now, Earth tilts on an axis at 23.5 degrees, mostly due to moon's gravity.

因為月球的引力，地球由軸心傾斜 23.5 度

If the moon disappeared, Earth's axis would wobble between anywhere from 10 to 45 degrees.

若月球消失，地球軸心可能在 10 度到 45 度之間晃動

Some experts estimate that Jupiter could help keep Earth's tilt from reeling completely out of control,

有些專家估計木星的引力可避免地球的傾斜失控

but even just an extra 10-degree tilt could wreak havoc on the climate and seasons.

但傾斜僅多 10 度就能造成對氣候和季節造成重大災害

In the past, Earth's tilt has changed by about one to two degrees, which scientists think could have caused Ice Ages in the past.

過去，地球的傾斜曾改變 1 至 2 度，而科學家認為這造成了冰河時期

It's hard to know what a 10 degree or 45 degree tilt would do, but probably nothing good for most life on Earth.

很難想像如果地球傾斜 10 或 45 度會有什麼結果，但對大部分地球生物來說，絕不會是什麼好事

The moon isn't just imperative for life on Earth today,

月亮不只對現今地球生命極度重要

experts believe that it might have also played a key role in the formation of life more than 3.5 billion years ago.

專家相信月球在 35 億年前地球生物形成時，也扮演重要角色

Turns out, the moon isn't just a beacon of light in the night sky.

結論是，月亮不只是夜空中的一座燈塔

Its existence is crucial to the delicate balancing act that makes life here possible.

它的存在對於構成地球生命可能性的微妙平衡具有重要意義