Our moon was actually formed by the collision and merger of many tiny moons, researchers say
- 7 years ago
REHOVOT, ISRAEL — Researchers in Israel have revived a decades-old theory that the moon was created by a series of collisions in space.
Many scientists believe the moon was created when a Mars-sized planet crashed into early Earth billions of years ago.
However, the Israeli scientists say simulations show their theory is the correct one, in research published in the journal Nature.
They say the moon was created over millions of years by objects in space colliding with Earth. Multiple impacts sent material from Earth flying into space, which then began orbiting the planet.
The objects hit Earth at different angles, which sent more material into space than would have occurred from a single impact.
The objects that collided with Earth had between a hundredth and a tenth of the planet’s mass. So much material was excavated from Earth by these collisions that a ring of debris formed around the planet.
As the debris orbited Earth, it then collided, forming small moons known as moonlets. As many as 20 moonlets then collided together over millions of years to form the moon. The researchers say this explains why the moon has an Earth-like chemical makeup.
A widely believed theory says a planet called Theia provided most of the building materials for the moon when it crashed into Earth 4.5 billion years ago, according to Science News. But now the Israeli scientists say more research into the interiors of Earth and the moon is needed to prove their theory right.
Many scientists believe the moon was created when a Mars-sized planet crashed into early Earth billions of years ago.
However, the Israeli scientists say simulations show their theory is the correct one, in research published in the journal Nature.
They say the moon was created over millions of years by objects in space colliding with Earth. Multiple impacts sent material from Earth flying into space, which then began orbiting the planet.
The objects hit Earth at different angles, which sent more material into space than would have occurred from a single impact.
The objects that collided with Earth had between a hundredth and a tenth of the planet’s mass. So much material was excavated from Earth by these collisions that a ring of debris formed around the planet.
As the debris orbited Earth, it then collided, forming small moons known as moonlets. As many as 20 moonlets then collided together over millions of years to form the moon. The researchers say this explains why the moon has an Earth-like chemical makeup.
A widely believed theory says a planet called Theia provided most of the building materials for the moon when it crashed into Earth 4.5 billion years ago, according to Science News. But now the Israeli scientists say more research into the interiors of Earth and the moon is needed to prove their theory right.