Tag Archives: earth rotation

What If the Earth Was Spinning on Its Side?

What If the Earth Was Spinning on Its Side?



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In Earth’s early days, it was slammed by protoplanet Theia. This left our world spinning on a tilted axis. But what if the Theia crash had flipped Earth 90 degrees? And why could living in Alaska help you live on a sideways Earth?

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00:00 Sideways Earth
00:47 Theia collision
01:41 Thanks, Wondrium!
02:42 Seasons
05:12 Weather events
05:41 Long winter
08:07 Crop harvest

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What If You Cut the Moon in Half?

What If You Cut the Moon in Half?



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Something weird is going on. The days are getting longer, the weather is getting worse, and a lot of surfers look sad. Chin up, guys. Maybe the waves will show up tomorrow? While it may look like we have a full Moon up there, what if the other half broke off? Are we doomed? What causes moonquakes? What would happen if half of our Moon drifted away? Has the Moon already split in half? What is a tidally locked planet? Could this cause an axial tilt of Earth?

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What If is a mini-documentary web series that takes you on an epic journey through hypothetical worlds and possibilities. Join us on an imaginary adventure through time, space and chance while we (hopefully) boil down complex subjects in a fun and entertaining way.

Produced with love by Underknown in Toronto:

#whatif #whatifcosmos #moonsplitinhalf #axialtilt #moonquakes

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What If Earth Was Spinning at the Speed of Light?

What If Earth Was Spinning at the Speed of Light?



The Earth makes one full rotation on its axis every 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds. And it’s not moving at the same speed everywhere. The rotational speed varies depending on your distance to the poles. This rotation makes Earth suitable for life. The diurnal cycle, or the shifting between day and night, helps keep the planet at a habitable temperature. Earth’s rotation is the driving force of weather patterns. Even tides are affected by the Earth’s spin.

So if we were to accelerate this rotation, would we completely destabilize the climate? What would happen to the length of our day? What geographical and climate changes would occur? And at what point would life on Earth cease to exist?

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What If is a mini-documentary web series that takes you on an epic journey through hypothetical worlds and possibilities. Join us on an imaginary adventure through time, space and chance while we (hopefully) boil down complex subjects in a fun and entertaining way.

Produced with love by Underknown in Toronto:
Contact us at

#WhatIf #Earth #SpeedOfLight #Rotation #WeatherPatterns

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