We take many things for granted in the world: our teeth, our neighbors' Wi-Fi passwords, and even life on Earth! The three things I've listed are not absolutely relevant here, but that's not the point I want to make. What I'm trying to say is that we shouldn't take for granted the tiniest, most obvious things that happen around us every moment. If everything on this planet suddenly stopped functioning, it could mean the instant disappearance of life as we know it.

In particular, what if the Earth, which is constantly spinning around its own axis, suddenly decides to stop spinning?

What if the Earth suddenly stopped spinning?

First of all, rest assured this is not going to happen, at least not for a few billion years. However, just out of curiosity, what if that happened...?

The cultural genes of the earth

Needless to say, the sudden occurrence of such an incredible event has nothing but destruction. A sudden stop in Earth's rotation will displace everything that isn't firmly anchored to bedrock, according to a NASA report. The reason is that even though the Earth stops spinning, the atmosphere continues to move at its original speed, say, 1100 miles per hour (1770 kilometers per hour). Therefore, everything that is not fixed to the bedrock will be blown off the ground. Large rocks, topsoil, buildings, vehicles, and even your beloved TV will be lifted up and swept away by the atmosphere.

This may be why many people aspire to be described as "down to earth".

What would happen if the Earth's rotation gradually slowed down?

Another change in the global crisis is less dramatic. What if the Earth lost its ability to spin over an extended period of time instead of suddenly losing its ability to spin? Assuming the different components of the ecosystem remain intact, the impact in this case would be the same as when it suddenly stopped. The situation is very different.

day and night

First, the most fundamental feature of our lives - our division of the day into 24 hours - will change. As we all know, it takes (approximately) 24 hours for the Earth to revolve around its axis, a cycle that causes all life on Earth to experience day and night. It's basic: as the Earth rotates, the hemisphere facing the sun experiences day, and the hemisphere facing away from the sun experiences night. This cycle continues, forming weeks, years, and millennia. In fact, almost everything we do depends on this single event. We always know that no matter what happens, there will always be a "tomorrow"!

However, if the Earth were to gradually stop rotating, what it could have done in one day could end up taking a year to do; those countries facing the sun would experience 6 months of daylight, while those facing away from the sun would Will experience 6 months of darkness. That's exactly what life in the North and South Pole is like today at different times of the year.

season

The sudden stop of the Earth's rotation certainly won't completely prevent the seasons from happening, but it will have a slight effect on the way the changing seasons behave. Currently, we have a very smooth transition between seasons. But without Earth's rotation, it wouldn't be as comfortable, especially in the equatorial regions. Along the equator, cities will experience hot summers, while regions facing away from the sun face deadly winters. This will undoubtedly bring about huge changes in human life, and many people will succumb to these extremes. Also, it will be more difficult for animals and other creatures as they will have a hard time surviving without any (which they usually don't have) outside assistance.

The result? The rapid extinction of countless species across the globe.

So what? I'm going to live in the poles!

Unfortunately, that doesn't turn out well either...

Over the years of evolution and development of human society, we have become so accustomed to the concept of oceans and their boundaries that we now take them for granted. But what if I told you that the dividing line where the ocean ends and the land begins depends on the Earth's rotation?

In fact, it is. You see, sea level is always in equilibrium with Earth's gravity (gravity pulls water toward the center of the Earth). In addition, due to the rotation of the planet, an outward centrifugal force is created, creating a bulge along the center of the planet. After rotating around its axis for millions of years, the Earth acquired this bulge along the equator, forming a flattened sphere, or ellipsoid (technical term).

No rotation means no centrifugal force, a condition that causes the oceans to start moving toward the poles, completely submerging the polar regions. Instead, a giant land mass would appear along the Earth's equator, then flanked by two massive bodies of water on either side.

no magnetic field

Earth's magnetic field may also disappear due to the absence of rotational motion.

Without a magnetic field, we would be vulnerable to the myriad of dangers that the powerful Sun presents to us (solar flares and other harmful radiation, just the beginning...). In this article, we've discussed more about the fascinating battle between the sun and our magnetic field.

The good news is that none of this will happen anytime soon; in fact, it won't happen for millions, if not billions, of years. This is definitely a relief!

Still, it does teach us a very important lesson...we should respect our calendars more and be grateful that this crazy world keeps spinning until tomorrow!