It has been a long research as to what and how does the Earth formed. Billions of years ago, as the planets were being formed into the chaotic universe, there were a lot of collisions which explains the formation of Asteroids between Mars and giant Jupiter. Then now, there has been findings that supports that Earth was formed due to a collision of two Planets.
According to new research, what formed the planet that we live on today and also created the moon was a ‘violent, head-on collision’ between Earth and a developing planet called Theia.
A ‘planetary embryo’ called Theia, thought to be around the same size as Earth or Mars, collided with Earth 4.5 billion years ago with the two being effectively melded together to form a single planet, says the study.
Theia is a hypothesized ancient planetary-mass object in the early Solar System. According to the hypothesis, Theia was an Earth trojan about the size of Mars, with diameter approximately 6,000 km (3,700 miles).
Theia was named for the titaness, Theia, who in Greek mythology, was the mother of Selene, the goddess of the moon; that echoes the planet.
The head-on smash took place approximately 100 million years after the Earth was formed.
While it was already known that the two planets collided, it was previously thought that Theia merely grazed Earth, causing the former to break up, with a piece of the fledgling planet forming the moon.
The moon would have a different chemical composition to Earth if that were the case, because it would be made up predominantly of Theia.
Researchers at the University of California studied moon rocks brought back to Earth by the Apollo 12, 15 and 17 missions, along with volcanic rocks from the Earth’s mantle, found in Hawaii and Arizona.
They found that the rocks from the moon and Earth had almost identical oxygen isotopes, turning the previous theory on its head.
“Theia was thoroughly mixed into both the Earth and the moon, and evenly dispersed between them,” said lead researcher Edward Young. “This explains why we don’t see a different signature of Theia in the moon versus the Earth.”
Evidence suggests that the impact was indeed a head-on collision, and that Theia's remains can be found both in the earth and the moon.
After the debris from the collision flew into space, some scientists think that it originally formed two moons which later merged to form the single Moon we know today.
While Theia ended up incorporated into Earth, Young says that it would probably have become a planet in its own right if the collision hadn’t taken place.
If Theia became a planet, it is as big potentially to a size comparable to Mars. However, gravitational perturbation by Venus could have eventually shifted Theia onto a collision course with Earth.
The collision made the Planet Earth that we lived today. Imagine if that happened say, just recently! The effects could be very devastating!
The collision also made the Moon which is very essential for our survival. Coincidence? Or an act of greater power…
Cheerio!
According to new research, what formed the planet that we live on today and also created the moon was a ‘violent, head-on collision’ between Earth and a developing planet called Theia.
A ‘planetary embryo’ called Theia, thought to be around the same size as Earth or Mars, collided with Earth 4.5 billion years ago with the two being effectively melded together to form a single planet, says the study.
Theia was named for the titaness, Theia, who in Greek mythology, was the mother of Selene, the goddess of the moon; that echoes the planet.
The head-on smash took place approximately 100 million years after the Earth was formed.
While it was already known that the two planets collided, it was previously thought that Theia merely grazed Earth, causing the former to break up, with a piece of the fledgling planet forming the moon.
The moon would have a different chemical composition to Earth if that were the case, because it would be made up predominantly of Theia.
Researchers at the University of California studied moon rocks brought back to Earth by the Apollo 12, 15 and 17 missions, along with volcanic rocks from the Earth’s mantle, found in Hawaii and Arizona.
“Theia was thoroughly mixed into both the Earth and the moon, and evenly dispersed between them,” said lead researcher Edward Young. “This explains why we don’t see a different signature of Theia in the moon versus the Earth.”
Evidence suggests that the impact was indeed a head-on collision, and that Theia's remains can be found both in the earth and the moon.
After the debris from the collision flew into space, some scientists think that it originally formed two moons which later merged to form the single Moon we know today.
While Theia ended up incorporated into Earth, Young says that it would probably have become a planet in its own right if the collision hadn’t taken place.
If Theia became a planet, it is as big potentially to a size comparable to Mars. However, gravitational perturbation by Venus could have eventually shifted Theia onto a collision course with Earth.
The collision made the Planet Earth that we lived today. Imagine if that happened say, just recently! The effects could be very devastating!
The collision also made the Moon which is very essential for our survival. Coincidence? Or an act of greater power…
Cheerio!
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