Thursday, August 4, 2011

Was our moon the result of 2 smaller moons crashing into each other?

Who knows, but there might be evidence to point to that.


From Gizmodo:
It's widely accepted that the Moon was created when a Mars-sized body hit Earth which blasted material that would eventually form the Moon into space. This conveniently explains the differences between the Moon and Earth. However! The differences between the near side of the Moon and the far side (or dark of the Moon) can't be neatly explained in this theory. 


Specifically, the scientists say that the "companion moon, 1/3 the diameter of the Moon, striking at subsonic velocity, does not form a crater. The impact produces an accretionary pile rather than a crater." That means most of the material from little Moon would have stayed on one side, like while the material of the original Moon stayed on the other side.

Source -> http://gizmodo.com/5827418/was-our-moon-actually-two-moons-that-smashed-into-each-other

Via http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v476/n7358/full/nature10289.html & http://www.space.com/12529-earth-2-moons-collision-moon-formation.html & http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2011/08/did-the-earths-lost-moon-create-the-lunar-highlands.ars

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