RT عربي11 hours agoScience1 min readArgentina

A new study indicates that the moon formed in just five hours

Quick Look

A study conducted using advanced computer simulations indicates that the Moon formed within only five hours after the Earth's collision with the planet Theia, instead of previous theories that indicated its formation over a period of years, due to the role of the temperature of the Earth and Theia and the strength of planetary materials in determining the speed of the process.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

The giant impact theory has long played a role in explaining the formation of the Moon, as scientists assumed that the Moon was formed from the debris of the Earth's collision with a Mars-sized body called Theia, and that this process took years to collect the molten pieces.

Font size

These results challenge previous theories that say it took many years for the Moon to form.

An old photo from NASA raises controversy about a space object hovering over the moon

While scientists have believed for decades that the Moon formed when a Mars-sized planet called Theia collided with the young Earth, spewing out molten rock that gradually coalesced, a team from Southwest Research Institute and the University of Arizona offers a different possibility.

Using sophisticated computer simulations, the researchers discovered that the temperature of the Earth and Theia before the collision was the determining factor in the speed of the moon's formation. The simulation showed that when the temperatures were appropriate, an intact moon could appear in just five hours.

The team found that the geological characteristics of the two colliding worlds play an important role: hotter planets are weaker and easier to tear apart, while cooler planets are stronger and more able to remain intact after the collision.

A study raises concerns about the transfer of Earth's microbes to the moon and their ability to survive

Dr Aden Denton said previous models treated planets as liquid bodies and ignored the strength of their rocks, but including the strength of planetary materials in simulations led to dramatically different results.

The results, published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, may help solve one of the biggest mysteries in planetary science, which is determining the exact time of the moon formation event, and explaining some of the moon’s puzzling properties, such as variations in its composition and content of volatile materials.

NASA publishes photos of a crater left by Elon Musk's rocket crash on the moon

The researchers pointed out that the great similarity in composition between the Earth and the Moon is still an open scientific question, and one possible explanation is that “Theia” and the young Earth were formed from a common region of the protoplanetary disk, while Mars is compositionally different, which indicates that it formed far away.

Dr. Denton likened Earth and Mars to siblings, while the Moon and Earth are like non-identical twins.

What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

Further simulations and analyzes will be conducted to confirm the study results
Likely · Within months

Open Questions

What precise thermal conditions led to the rapid formation of the moon?
Can these results be confirmed by future lunar samples?
How does this theory affect our understanding of the formation of other rocky planets?