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The moon

I was just reading an interesting article on space.com about an asteriod hurtling through space towards us, apparently set to pass somewhere between us and our moon. At 400m across and the same size lengthways, it is a pretty big thing. That got me thinking about the moon and its' influence on our world. Doing a little research shows that our moon, whilst sitting quietly glowing upon us at night in an unassuming manner, our moon actually commands a lot of influence.

The moon influences the magnetic fields on the Earth, thereby affecting the tides (http://www.astronomytoday.com/astronomy/earthmoon.html). It draws all sorts of wildlife towards it, especially moths - I don't know why (let me know). Apparently it also has an effect on winds. The weblink above talks to us also about the collision of a large mass with the Earth long long ago and it's effect on the moon's influence over us. I wonder if the asteroid heading our way will create any change for our planet.

On a more subtle level, the moon also seems to affect our moods. It certainly does mine, and I am not entirely sure why .. on a full moon I always seem to go into a strange mood, somewhat peculiar and odd -  nothing too scary or weird, just a little peculiar. I put it down also to the fact that we are all affected by the phases of the moon - it somehow influences us, and the cycles and rhythms that we live with every day. For me a full moon signifies a period of calm chaos and it is not a time to make big decisions.

I like the moon, it has a peace about it that is both comforting and special. I wonder how its' influence on us will change as time passes by.

Peter

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