November 01, 2022
For decades, scientists have been unsure of the origin of the moon and its formation. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had proposed that the moon formed around 4.5 billion years ago in the aftermath of a giant collision between Earth and a Mars-sized body called Theia, and that the formation took months or years.
However, according to new research conducted by scientists from NASA and Durham University, UK, it has been discovered that the moon may have formed within a few hours after the matter produced from the collision between Theia and the Earth was launched into Earth’s orbit. Researchers proposed this theory
after creating high-resolution simulations of the collision, using NASA’s super-computer.
Did You Know?
The moon has a very thin atmosphere known as the exosphere.
