Future of Earth Sun. The drag from the solar atmosphere may cause the orbit of the Moon to decay. Once the orbit of the Moon closes to a distance of , it will cross the Earth's Roche limit. This means that tidal interaction with the Earth would break apart the Moon, turning it into a ring system. Most of the orbiting ring will then begin to decay, and the debris will impact the Earth. Hence, even if the Earth is not swallowed up by the Sun, the planet may be left moonless. The ablation and vaporization caused by its fall on a decaying
Sun and Moon (Middle-earth) for the Moon was the Silver Flower, and Gollum referred to it as the White Face. The Moon was more highly valued than the Sun by the Elves, both because it came from the Elder Tree, and because it rose first. In the universe of Middle-earth, the Moon was generally regarded as masculine, in recognition of Tilion. This gender corresponds with Máni, the personified moon in Norse mythology. In the early versions of "The Silmarillion" as described in "The Book of Lost Tales 1", a part of The History of Middle-earth series, the Sun was described in great detail as