The moon had formed in a few hours
According to the latest NASA study, the moon will beIt consists of about 60% of the primary earth materialsversus 30% for the initial theories.
From the Earth to the Moon there is only one step. A recent study offers new hypotheses about one of the greatest mysteries of our solar system: the origin of the moon’s formation. According to researchers from NASA and Durham University (UK), the composition of the satellite will be close to that of the Earth. Their work has been published in Astrophysical Journal Letters Tuesday, October 4th.
This new hypothesis presents a somewhat different scenario from the older studies. Since the 1970s, there has been a consensus among scientists that the Moon was born 4.5 billion years ago, after a collision between Earth and a Mars-sized protoplanet called Theia. This planetary fetus coming out of nowhere was going to strike Earth, which was at that time”ocean of magmaAccording to Frances Rocard, a planetary scientist at the National Center for Space Studies (Cnes).
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According to the current consensus, our satellite was formed from debris from the collision of objects. In orbit around the Earth, they would have come together over a period of months, even years, to form the Moon. So this scenario assumes that the moon will beMainly composed of materials from TheiaFrédéric Moynier, a professor at Paris City University at the Institute of Physics in the World in Paris (IPGP), explains.
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“60% of the primary earth materials”
However, these theories do not align with the latest analyzes of lunar samples reported during Apollo missions. According to scientists, there are similarities between the composition of the satellite and the composition of the Earth. A recent NASA study published on October 4 confirms these assertions.
with help”super computerTo the advanced technology, the researchers were able to put forward a new hypothesis, which was outlined in a video posted on NASA’s Twitter account. The moon may have formed in a few hours, and it will beIt consists of about 60% of the primary earth materialsversus 30% for the initial theories.
The video simulation shows that after the collision, the object would have yanked itself out of the Earth’s material and then moved away. It is this body that will quickly become the moon. This new scenario, if confirmed, is consistent with analyzes showing that “The composition of the oxygen isotopes of the moon is the same as that of the earth‘ asserts Frederic Moynier.
theories to be confirmed
However, the NASA study remains a hypothesis and remains.”very theoreticalFrederic Moynier warns. “We must allow time for the experts to discuss and reach a consensus that either confirms or criticizes,” he added“This scenario, infuriates Francis Rocard who asserts”It takes four to five years for specialists to agree“.Moreover, for Frédéric Moynier, some thermochemical aspects”Do not show. In particular the fact that the moon is very dry: poor in water and volatile compounds. master constraint“.
These are the many questions that remain outstanding.”One of the reasons to return to the moon“,” refers to Frédéric Moynier. The satellite’s surface was not fully exploited by the Apollo program. In particular “hidden face“and the”columnswhich have not been explored by humans or robots, Francis Rocard recalls. So this is the goal of the Artemis mission, which is focused on the south pole of the star. Its launch tentatively scheduled for the end of August has been postponed to November 14, with two backup dates, November 16 and 19.
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The goal of Artemis III is to return new lunar samples that could confirm or invalidate recent NASA theories. “The first samples will certainly reach us between 2026 and 2027Francis Rocard says. “The more we know about the birth of the Moon, the more we discover the evolution of the Earth. Its histories are intertwined – and you can find echoes in the histories of other planets that have changed due to similar or completely different collisions”Vincent Ike, a researcher at Durham University and co-author of the study, said.
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