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In this story I'm working on, a tower on Earth is projecting a field to the Moon that keeps it locked in place directly above where the tower is. To onlookers on Earth, the Moon seems stationary to them at all times. They can reliably navigate the landscape using the movement locked moon as a landmark, since it never moves in the sky. In space, it rotates directly relative to Earth's rotation, staying above the location where the tower is located, without getting closer or farther from the Earth (Earth's rotation remains the same).

I'm not exactly sure about the complete effects of the Moon on the Earth. I know that the area around the tower would probably have high tides constantly, and the other end of the world would probably suffer low tides all the time as well. But I know there would be more serious consequences to keeping the moon stationary in the sky than just unbalanced water levels. So...

What would happen to the world if we froze the Moon in the sky? More specifically, how might the weather or landscape of Earth change if this occurred?

LordPrism
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  • Also even if this question wasn't pretty much a duplicate of all the other tidally locked moon questions, it is way too broad. – Aify Apr 08 '18 at 17:30
  • @Aify this is a bit of the opposite question: forcing the Moon to tidally lock lock to the Earth. – RonJohn Apr 08 '18 at 17:36
  • The moon is already tidally locked to the Earth. That has nothing to do with being geostationary. – Samuel Apr 08 '18 at 17:47
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    @Aify is correct that this is a duplicate of that (regrettably) closed question. The one obvious effect is that you'd have no tides - but what happens after that is ecologocally massive, which is why the linked Q was closed (too broad). Could you imagine being Columbus and sailing around and suddenly discovering the moon (something neither he nor anyone before him in his society had ever seen)? Or the folks in Italy who suddenly realize they'll never see the moon again 'cause the U.S. locked it? The social impacts alone make this too broad. – JBH Apr 08 '18 at 17:59

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a tower on Earth is projecting a field to the Moon that keeps it locked in place directly above where the tower is.

That tower would have to be at the equator.

In space, it rotates directly relative to Earth's rotation, staying above the location where the tower is located, without getting closer or farther from the Earth.

That's the "geostationary orbit" at only 22,236 miles above the earth, where many artificial satellites live. More importantly, it's 91% closer to Earth than the Moon's current orbit.

Thus, either the Moon would suddenly get a lot closer, or the tower would have to exert a (computable but stunningly large) force that speeds up the Moon while holding it in place so that it doesn't fly out of orbit.

More importantly, the Earth is tilted, and the Moon doesn't orbit at that tilt.

Thus, I'd not explain it.

RonJohn
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    What you are saying is that if someone tried to perform LordPrism's suggested action the result would probably be world shattering for the Moon and/or the Earth. It would cause a terrible cataclysm. – M. A. Golding Apr 08 '18 at 22:04