Scientists Are Still Trying To Understand How the Moon Formed

The Giant Impact Hypothesis says that a Mars-sized protoplanet named Theia crashed into Earth more than 4 billion years ago. The debris eventually coalesced to form the Moon. New research ties the temperature and strength of the materials involved in the collsion to how the Moon formed, and how quickly it formed. Image Credit: NASA

The Earth and the Moon have nearly identical isotopic compositions, and the Giant Impact Hypothesis strives to explain this. New research into the ancient impact shows how the temperature of both worlds, and how it affects the strength of the materials involved in the collision, shaped the outcome, including the isotopic compositions.

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