• Question: What would happen if the Earth stopped spinning?

    Asked by to Anna, Elaine, Fiona, Kevin, Darren on 19 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Anna Bramwell-Dicks

      Anna Bramwell-Dicks answered on 19 Jun 2014:

      If it stopped suddenly, then all people and anything that is not connected to the earth in some way, would head off into the atmosphere! The sudden deceleration of the earth would be disastrous!!!

      If it stopped gradually then this would not be a problem. However, it would take a whole year to cycle through what currently happens in a day. So, for 6 months of the year it would be night time, and for 6 months it would be day time!

    • Photo: Zhiming Darren Tan

      Zhiming Darren Tan answered on 20 Jun 2014:

      Depends why it stops, but generally a lot of things change. Having part of the earth always face the sun and another part always face away will disrupt ecosystems quite dramatically.
      It’s a question that’s been asked before, interestingly:
      http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/what-if/what-if-earth-stopped-spinning.htm

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