The Moon phases are entertaining and useful for calendar building, but watching the same full Moon/new Moon routine gets boring after a few thousands of years. Besides, one Moon does not provide nearly enough solar eclipses for everyone to enjoy at least 5 or 10 times per lifetime.

So, why not build one more moon? Mr. Bigelow has made an amazing progress with expandable modules, we could use those as a starting point (and hollow Moon-2 would not wreck the tidal patterns).

A few benefits:

- global fun watching the new extra moon

- figuring out the pattern of _two_ moons would be helpful for preventing Alzheimer's disease

- more frequent solar eclipses (I guess it falls under "fun", though)

- if our civilization collapses, the next one might evolve faster, having more complex pattern to think about

- subsequent civilizations would consider us gods
-- xipetotec, Aug 31 2007

Just as you now revere the Romans, Greeks, Aztecs and Mayans?
-- normzone, Aug 31 2007


Well, they didn't make moons, so...

Actually, speaking of Mayas, they did have quite a convoluted calendar based on _two_ cycles... OMG SOMEBODY HAD STOLEN THE SECOND MOON!
-- xipetotec, Aug 31 2007


The extra moon would have a hard time to stay in a reasonable orbit under the influence of the current, much heavier, earth/moon/sun system. The only place you could put it would be one of the stable Lagrange Points. It would still bounce around a bit.
-- kbecker, Sep 01 2007


Please could it be made from green cheese?
-- the dog's breakfast, Sep 01 2007


Thanks [Anathema Device] you saved me the trouble of putting in a harsh anno, then again I would think and actually do think that every sunrise is pretty damn magical.
-- zeno, Sep 01 2007



random, halfbakery