Can you get burnt by the moon

But unlike Earth, the Moon has no global magnetic field. However, magnetized rocks near the lunar surface do create small, localized spots of magnetic field that extend anywhere from hundreds of yards to hundreds of miles. This is the kind of information that needs to be well understood to better protect astronauts on the Moon from the effects of radiation. These small bubbles of magnetic "sunscreen" can also deflect solar wind particles — but on a much smaller scale than Earth's magnetic field.

Under these miniature magnetic umbrellas, the material that makes up the Moon's surface, called regolith, is shielded from the Sun's particles. The Earth's Image credit: Starry Night education software. Eclipses would be no more. Whether you're talking solar eclipses -- partial, total or annular -- or lunar eclipses, where Earth's natural satellite passes into our shadow, we would no longer have eclipses of any type. Eclipses require three objects to be aligned: the Sun, a planet and a planet's moon.

When the moon passes between the Sun and a planet, a shadow can be cast on the planet's surface total eclipse , the moon can transit across the Sun's surface annular eclipse , or it can obscure just a fraction of the Sun's light partial eclipse. But without a moon at all, none of these could occur.

Our only natural satellite would never pass into Earth's shadow if it didn't exist, putting an end to eclipses. The Moon exerts a tidal force on the Earth, which not only causes our tides, but causes braking of Image credit: Wikimedia Commons user Wikiklaas and E.

The length of a day would remain constant. You might not think about it much, but the Moon exerts a tiny frictional force on the spinning Earth, causing our rotation rate to slow down over time. We might only lose a second here or there over many centuries, but it adds up over time. Our 24 hour day was only 22 hours back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and was under 10 hours a few billion years ago.

In another four million years, we won't need leap days any longer in our calendar, as the rotation rate slows and the length of a day continues to get longer.

But without a Moon, all that would cease. It would be 24 hour days every single day to come, until the Sun itself ran out of fuel and died. Gorey Harbour at low tide, illustrating the extreme difference between high and low tide found in Image credit: Wikimedia Commons user FoxyOrange. Our tides would be tiny. High tide and low tide presents an interesting, vast difference for those of us who live near the coast, particularly if we're in a bay, sound, inlet, or other area where water pools.

Our tides on Earth are primarily due to the Moon, with the Sun contributing only a small fraction of the tides we see today. During full moons and new moons, when the Sun, Earth and Moon are aligned, we have spring tides: the largest differences between high and low tide possible.

When they're at right angles, during a half Moon, we have neap tides: the smallest such differences. Spring tides are twice as large as neap tides, but without our Moon, the tides would always be the same paltry size, and only a quarter as big as today's spring tides. The obliquity of Earth's axial tilt, currently This is a very small variation compared to, say, Mars.

Our axial tilt would be unstable. But there are lots of simple ways to prevent it by being sun-safe and avoiding sunburns. My Chart. Donate Today. For Physicians. Cancer Moonshots. March What happens to your skin when you get a sunburn. Next Article. March : What happens when you get a sunburn. A sunburn is not the same as when you burn your skin on something hot.

How your skin changes during a sunburn When ultraviolet radiation from the sun reaches the skin, it damages the skin cells and causes mutations in their DNA. Can you reverse sun damage? Follow these sun safety tips Follow these tips to protect your skin from the sun and lower your cancer risk. Be sure to choose a sunscreen that has an SPF of 30 or higher, is water-resistant and offers broad-spectrum protection. Apply sunscreen at least 30 minutes before going in the sun.

When possible, seek shade.