New simulation reveals detailed way the moon formed

Earth’s satellite, the Moon, could have formed in a few hours, scientists from the Ames Research Center came to this conclusion. In their work they submittedis believed to be the most accurate computer simulation of the collision of the Earth with the hypothetical planet Theia, as a result of which the Moon could have formed.

The new simulation used the highest possible resolution spatial grids and suggested that the Moon was formed hours after material from Earth and Theia entered orbit after their collision. These conclusions also explain the similarity of the lunar soil with terrestrial rocks.

It was previously believed that the formation of the moon took days or even years. According to the most common theory, the collision of the Earth with a massive object the size of Mars caused the planet to have a satellite.

Evgeny Fedunenko