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If we made Earth's orbit a perfect circle, which of the following things would happen?

a) Total lunar eclipses would become impossible, but there would still be partial ones.
b) There would be no more seasons on Earth
c) The Moon would appear larger in our sky
d) There would be slight changes in the strength of the tides from the Sun
e) Earth would become too hot to be habitable.

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

The correct answer is d) There would be slight changes in the strength of the tides from the Sun, as a perfectly circular orbit would lead to more uniform solar tides throughout the year.

Step-by-step explanation:

If Earth's orbit were a perfect circle, the most accurate statement from the options provided is d) There would be slight changes in the strength of the tides from the Sun. This is because Earth's orbit currently has an elliptical shape, meaning that the distance between the Earth and the Sun varies throughout the year. When Earth is closer to the Sun, the gravitational pull is stronger, leading to slightly higher tides (known as perigean tides), whereas when it's farther, the pull is weaker, leading to lower tides (known as apogean tides). If Earth’s orbit were perfectly circular, the distance to the Sun would remain constant, so the strength of the solar tides would not vary as much over the course of the year.

Option a) is incorrect because lunar eclipses are related to the position of the Moon relative to the Earth and Sun, not the shape of Earth's orbit. Option b) is incorrect because seasons on Earth are primarily caused by its axial tilt, not by its elliptical orbit. Option c) is incorrect—changing Earth's orbit to a circle would not affect the apparent size of the Moon in our sky. Lastly, option e) is incorrect because making Earth's orbit a perfect circle would not significantly affect our planet's temperature to make it uninhabitable.

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