Moon formation took place within hours, new NASA simulation suggests

A new simulation by NASA (National Administration of Aeronautics and Space) suggests that the Moon formed in a matter of hours, after Earth collided with a Mars-sized object called Theia.

Previous theories already considered that the origin of the Moon occurred because of this shock. However, the assumption was that the formation process of Earth’s natural satellite would have taken months or even years, but not a few hours.

The assumption that the moon appeared so fast was addressed in a study published this Tuesday (4) signed by researchers linked to NASA. From this article, it was possible to simulate the collision and also how the origin of the Moon occurred in such a short time.

The theory that the Moon was formed from the Earth is widespread because of the composition of both celestial bodies. Previous analyzes already pointed out that lunar rocks were formed with materials similar to those of Earth. The composition, however, was not observed on other planets in the solar system, such as Mars.

So the theory that the natural satellite originated from the collision between Earth and the object Theia makes sense. According to this hypothesis, the most superficial layers of the Moon would be formed mainly by materials coming from Earth.

The researchers also point out that the assumption that the formation of the Moon took only a few hours may elucidate some characteristics of the satellite. According to NASA, the rapidity in the constitution may indicate an interior of the celestial body that is not yet completely melted. This could explain further doubts about the Moon, such as the reason for the inclined orbit and the presence of a thin crust.

To confirm the new hypothesis, the next steps involve collecting more samples from the Moon for scientists to analyze. This allows identifying the satellite’s composition and comparing it with Earth materials, identifying if it really has many similarities with the planet.