‘It’s very exciting’: Did a star collide with Earth? Scientists’ new theory about the planet Theia

A planet could have collided with our planet billions of years ago, leaving some scars, according to the authors of this study published by the journal. nature Beginning of November.

Theia, the disappearing exoplanet, would have left traces on the blue planet when it was forming, even going so far as to play on the planet. Creating the moon.

“The scientific community generally agrees that an ancient planet likely billions of years ago collided with the then-forming Earth, creating debris that combined to form the Moon.”

Giant Impact Theory

This is not the first time such a hypothesis has been raised, although this new study presents it CNNgives new elements in relation Thea’s disappearance. This collision between the two stars will be “the most violent event that the Earth has ever experienced.”

This is ambiguous Exoplanet It has disappeared, leaving a void for scientists searching for its last traces. Some would have been left on Earth after a giant impact. For the study’s lead author, geophysicist Qian Yuan: “It’s very, very, very exciting.”

The “blobs” under our feet?

If the Theia hypothesis is already known, this study provides details of what remains of it. At a depth of about 1,800 miles (2,900 km) below the Earth’s surface, parts of Theia are believed to have existed. Merged with the cortex From the blue planet. The presence of this debris explains the existence of the two “blobs” or huge spots located under the Pacific Ocean and the African continent.

Each of these “blobs” is larger than the Moon, and their origin has been a mystery since their discovery in the 1980s. Since this impact, Thea has disappeared, leaving behind only huge fragments.