Frederic Melton
If the moon was made of cheese, the consequences would be catastrophic. The moon would be lighter, which would lead to smaller tides. The moon's soft structure would mean that the tidal effect of Earth's gravity would start ripping it apart, and the Earth would end up with a Saturn-like ring of desiccated cheese fragments. The water and casein protein in the cheese would separate, and the moon would eventually be covered in oceans.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Mass | 21% of its current mass |
| Density | A third of its current density |
| Composition | Water, fat, protein, lactose |
| Tidal influence | Decrease |
| Oceans | Yes |
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What You'll Learn
The moon would evaporate in the vacuum of space
If the moon was made of cheese, it would evaporate in the vacuum of space. The moon's surface can reach up to 120°C, and cheese is composed of water, fat, protein and lactose, all of which would evaporate over time. The density of the moon is about three times that of cheese, so if the volume remained the same, the cheese moon's mass would be about a third of the current moon's mass.
The water and casein protein, which are the main components of cheese, would begin to separate out, with the caseins moving closer to the core of the moon. As pressure increased, the caseins would start to break down. Nitrogen and other gases would rise up to the surface to create an atmosphere. This could trap sunlight, hence the surface of the moon would be warm enough to form oceans with the water that got separated from the cheese. But since the moon’s gravity can’t sustain a thick atmosphere, eventually the oceans would sublimate.
The enormous loss of mass that would occur if the rock of the moon were replaced by cheese would dramatically decrease the tidal influence of the moon on Earth's oceans, leading to a marked slowdown in the circulation of currents, such as the Gulf Stream. The gravitational pull is greater on the near side of the moon than it is on the far side, so the tidal effect of Earth's gravity would soon start ripping the moon apart. Earth would end up with a Saturn-type ring composed of desiccated cheese fragments.
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The moon would be ripped apart by Earth's gravity
If the moon was made of cheese, it would be ripped apart by Earth's gravity. Cheese has a soft structure, so the tidal effect of Earth's gravity would soon start ripping the moon apart. The moon's gravity is not strong enough to sustain a thick atmosphere, so the water and casein protein in the cheese would begin to separate out, with the caseins moving closer to the core of the moon. As pressure increased, the caseins would start to break down. Nitrogen and other gases would rise up to the surface to create an atmosphere. This could trap sunlight, hence the surface of the moon would be warm enough to form oceans with the water that got separated from the cheese. Eventually, the oceans would sublimate, exposing a carbon-filled shell that probably wouldn't taste much like cheese.
The moon is responsible for the rise and fall of the tides, so a lighter moon would lead to smaller tides. The enormous loss of mass that would occur if the rock of the moon were replaced by cheese would dramatically decrease the tidal influence of the moon on Earth's oceans, leading to a marked slowdown in the circulation of currents, such as the Gulf Stream. A moon made of cheese would only have 21% of its current mass. As the moon pulls on the Earth, it tries to keep the oceans in place. As the Earth turns underneath, tidal friction with the water brakes its rotation, slowing the planet down.
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The moon would have oceans
If the moon was made of cheese, it would have oceans. The gravitational crush towards the Moon's core would cause the cheese to separate out into its constituent parts, such as water and casein. The water and casein protein, which are the main components of cheese, would begin to separate out, with the caseins moving closer to the core of the moon. As pressure increased, the caseins would start to break down. Nitrogen and other gases would rise up to the surface to create an atmosphere. This could trap sunlight, hence the surface of the moon would be warm enough to form oceans with the water that got separated from the cheese. However, since the moon’s gravity can’t sustain a thick atmosphere, eventually the oceans would sublimate. This would expose a carbon-filled shell that probably wouldn’t taste much like cheese.
The density of the moon is about three times that of cheese. Hence, if the volume remained the same, the cheese moon’s mass would be about a third that of our current moon. A moon of the same size, but made of cheese, would only have 21% of its current mass. The moon is responsible for the rise and fall of the tides, so a lighter moon would lead to smaller tides. The tidal effect of Earth’s gravity would soon start ripping the moon apart. Due to the enormous loss of mass that would occur if the rock of the moon were replaced by cheese, the tidal influence of the moon on Earth’s oceans would dramatically decrease, leading to a marked slowdown in the circulation of currents, such as the Gulf Stream.
Green cheese – which refers to fresh, unmatured cheese rather than the food’s colour – would evaporate in the vacuum of space, especially when the sun shone on it, because the moon’s surface can reach up to 120°C. Cheese is composed of water, fat, protein and lactose, and although water is its most volatile component, the other elements would also evaporate over time.
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The moon would have an atmosphere
If the moon was made of cheese, it would have an atmosphere. The water and casein protein, which are the main components of cheese, would begin to separate out, with the caseins moving closer to the core of the moon. As pressure increased, the caseins would start to break down. Nitrogen and other gases would rise up to the surface to create an atmosphere. This would trap sunlight, making the surface of the moon warm enough to form oceans with the water that had separated from the cheese. However, the moon's gravity cannot sustain a thick atmosphere, so eventually, the oceans would sublimate. This would expose a carbon-filled shell that probably wouldn't taste much like cheese.
The moon's density is about three times that of cheese. Therefore, if the volume remained the same, the cheese moon's mass would be about a third of the current moon's mass. This would lead to a marked slowdown in the circulation of currents, such as the Gulf Stream. The moon, along with the sun, is responsible for the rise and fall of the tides, so a lighter moon would lead to smaller tides.
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The moon would be lighter
If the moon was made of cheese, it would be lighter. The density of the moon is about three times that of cheese, so if the volume remained the same, the cheese moon’s mass would be about a third of the current moon's mass. This would lead to a decrease in the moon's tidal influence on Earth's oceans, resulting in smaller tides and a marked slowdown in the circulation of currents, such as the Gulf Stream.
The gravitational pull of the Earth is greater on the near side of the moon than on the far side, and this tidal effect would start to rip the cheese moon apart. The soft structure of cheese would not be able to withstand this pull, and the moon would eventually break apart. The Earth would then have a Saturn-type ring composed of desiccated cheese fragments.
The water and casein protein, which are the main components of cheese, would begin to separate, with the caseins moving closer to the core of the moon. As pressure increased, the caseins would start to break down. Nitrogen and other gases would rise to the surface to create an atmosphere, which would eventually trap sunlight and warm the surface of the moon. This would form oceans with the water that had separated from the cheese. However, as the moon's gravity cannot sustain a thick atmosphere, the oceans would eventually sublime, exposing a carbon-filled shell.
The moon would not be made of cheese at all, and it would no longer be green as the cheese would evaporate in the vacuum of space, especially when exposed to the sun. The moon's surface can reach up to 120°C, and although water is the most volatile component of cheese, the other elements of fat, protein and lactose would also evaporate over time.
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Frequently asked questions
The moon would be lighter and have a mass of about a third of its current mass. It would also have a soft structure.
The moon would start to break apart and separate into its constituent parts, such as water and casein. It would eventually have oceans, and wouldn't be made of cheese at all.
The moon's tidal influence on Earth's oceans would dramatically decrease, leading to a marked slowdown in the circulation of currents, such as the Gulf Stream.
The moon would develop an atmosphere, but it wouldn't be able to sustain it.
