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New research could explain why the moon has elements similar to the Earth.
(DAMIEN MEYER / AFP / Getty Images)
- Scientists have assumed that the moon was created by a giant collision between the Earth and another planet-like body.
- At the time of the collision, the Earth was composed of molten lava, which may explain why the Moon has similar elements to the Earth.
- Scientists have used advanced computer models that take into account the early stages of melting the Earth.
New research could explain why the moon contains elements similar to Earth, a question that plagues scientists studying how the moon was born.
The long-established "giant impact theory" postulates that the moon was created when a newborn Earth collided with a rock the size of Mars called Theia there are billions of 39; years. The predominant theory is that debris from Theia fired into the atmosphere after the collision and merged to form the moon, according to several scientific publications, including Space.com and Astronomy Magazine.
But scientists have not quite been able to explain why the elements found in lunar rocks and terrestrial rocks are so similar. The new study, published Monday in the journal Nature, has a potential explanation: if the Earth was made of molten magma at the time of the collision, several of its elements could have been launched in space with the debris, according to a report by Space.com.
(MORE: According to NASA, a large asteroid will slide near Earth by 2029, according to the Earth)
The study was conducted using advanced computer models simulating a land covered with an ocean of magma, which corresponds to most of the planet's formation patterns, the report says.
Their results suggest that if the Earth was melted at the time of the collision of Theia, instead of being solid, many more Earth materials could have been projected into space, leaving the Moon mainly composed of our planet instead of Theia..
"Previous work on lunar formation fundamentally ignored the effects of the ocean magma," Space.com senior author Natsuki Hosono of the Japan Science and Technology Agency told Space.com. Earth and Earth. "Our research concluded that the ocean magma is one of the most important things for the giant impact forming the moon.
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