As the sun's antagonist, the moon is Earth's natural satellite , whose influence and significance are equally important. The moon is a celestial body that dates back more than 4.000 billion years, almost as old as the Solar System.
Everything that revolves around the concept of the moon is enriching in terms of science, culture and mysticism. The moon is constantly studied, even hosting different space missions, such as the Apollo mission.
However, from a non-scientific perspective, the moon holds several meanings. In short, it is a valuable object of interest that, day after day, graces the nights. Therefore, have you ever wondered, what is the origin of the moon?
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The origin of the moon, in a nutshell. What are the most basic details?
More than 4.000 billion years ago, the Solar System and the universe were pristine. Everything that is currently known, as basic as it may seem, was not even the same in dimensions during that time.
In 1975, the scientific journal Icarus published a summary of the presentations given at the previous year's international scientific conference on satellites. From that point on, the most widely accepted theory about the origin of the moon became known .
Source: C&EN
In it, it was established that, after an event of catastrophic proportions, the Earth suffered a huge impact. Back then, its size was barely half of what it is today, causing ferocious damage.
The object that caused this event was similar in size to Mars, resulting in the release of fragments and terrestrial material. As time passed, the debris accumulated, eventually leading to the formation of the moon.
The protagonists of the origin of the moon, according to the most successful theory
To further understand the details mentioned above, it is important to know the protagonists of the origin of the moon. In the first instance, as already mentioned, the newly born planet Earth is found.
On the other hand, the neglect of a sister planet, named Tea, is the main antagonist of the premise. It was thanks to this planet, according to various hypotheses, that it is possible to explain today the origin of the moon.
The main antagonist: Theia
Also known as Tea or even Orpheus or Orfeo, it is the celestial object that is believed to have hit the Earth millennia ago. Tea, was a planet that originated close to the same Earth orbit, with a smaller size in comparison.
However, it grew in an orbital zone more conducive to planetary growth , due to the different characteristics of the environment. Once the planet reached proportions similar to those of Mars, it began to show signs of strain in its orbit.
As a consequence, Tea underwent frequent orbital changes, leading to unstable behavior. In the end, her trajectory became too chaotic, resulting in a direct hit with respect to Earth.
Supporting Actor: Planet Earth
Over 4.000 billion years ago, planet Earth was barely a young, practically embryonic, rocky mass. At that point in history, it is believed that Earth was only just beginning the process of differentiation between the mantle and the core.
Once the shock occurred, Tea was almost completely destroyed, while the Earth was plunged into a hostile and inhospitable environment. Surface temperatures reached ridiculous levels of heat.
Much of Theia's mantle and surface, along with a small percentage of Earth's mantle, was ejected . Because the event occurred at a low angle, Theia continued its forward orbit.
Being practically the same Earth orbit, a second impact occurred, triggering the total destruction of Tea. With this new debris ejection of matter into space, the Earth developed its own debris disk.
However, due to various as-yet-unexplained effects, the debris disk compacted and formed the moon. In contrast, the remaining debris from Theia is believed to have merged with Earth's structure, strengthening it.
The arrival of man on the moon
When man stepped on the moon, it not only meant a giant step for humanity. Also, he represented the opportunity to come into contact with one of the most enigmatic elements of the nearby cosmos, the moon.
The material collected during the Apollo mission provided some evidence that reinforces the impact theory. The first and most significant is that the moon, among its materials, has an oxygen isotope ratio similar to Earth's.
In turn, it has been concluded that the lunar core and surface are made of materials resulting from the fusion of two surfaces. By virtue of this, it is believed that both elements of the Earth and the planet that caused the impact are present on the moon.
Other theories that explain the origin of the moon. What else should you know about it?
From the hypothesis of the impact or the great collision there are other theories that explain the origin of the moon as such. One of them is the synesis hypothesis, postulated in 2018 by scientists from Harvard and UC Davis.
This phenomenon states that, after a planetary impact event, the end result is an immense solid rock known as a zea. Materials such as metal, granite, or compact rock form this enormous, hot mass. Over time, it shrank to the size of the moon.
Source: QUO[/caption>
However, the next of other theories explaining the origin of the moon was promulgated in 2012. An article published by R. Canup established that the moon originated as a result of the merger of two planets after a collision.
Both planets were the same size as, or larger than, Mars, and they ejected a cloud of cosmic debris. This cloud initially organized into a biconcave disk, which later compacted to form the moon.
