Thus even the characteristics of Jupiter and Saturn’s orbits must fit within certain narrowly defined ranges for life on Earth to be possible . . .
“The moon plays a critical role for life as well. Our moon is unique among solar system bodies in that it is so large relative to its planet. As a result, our moon exerts a significant gravitational pull on Earth. Thanks to this pull, coastal sea waters are cleansed and their nutrients replenished, also the obliquity (tilt of the rotation axis relative to the orbital plane) of Earth is stabilized (a critical factor for avoiding climatic extremes) . . .
So we see that Earth is prepared for life, through a variety of finely tuned characteristics of our galaxy, star, planet, and moon. “This discussion by no means exhausts the list of characteristics that must be fine tuned for life to exist.
The astronomical literature now includes discussions on more than forty different characteristics that must take on narrowly defined values. And this list grows longer with every new year of research” (ibid., pp. 137-138).