Posted on 02/04/2016 10:21:30 AM PST by Smittie
A new theory says Earth is made of two planets, rather than just one. Apparently, our planet is the result of a collision that helped map the course of both Earth as we know it and the moon.
According to new research from the University of California, Earth and a hypothesized early planet called Theia collided, and the two planets fused together 4.5 billion years ago. That impact also formed our moon, Science Alert explains.
The initial working theory was that the Earth and Theia only side-swiped each other, sending the moon into orbit and then flying away into space. But this new research says that Theia never left Earth and instead, it helped shape up our planet.
Scientists studied oxygen isotopes from moon rocks from the Apollo missions and volcanic rocks from Earth’s mantle. Since each planet has a particular oxygen signature when it comes to oxygen contents, they would be able to see differences between lunar soil and Earth rocks.
If Theia simply swiped Earth, then the moon would be made mostly of Theia, and the Earth and moon rocks would have different oxygen isotopes. However, the researchers found they have the same isotopes.
“We don’t see any difference between Earth’s and the Moon’s oxygen isotopes; they’re indistinguishable,†researcher Edward Young said.
“Theia was thoroughly mixed into both the Earth and the moon, and evenly dispersed between them. This explains why we don’t see a different signature of Theia in the Moon versus Earth.â€
The researcher also explained there’s evidence that Theia was a growing planet, still evolving at the time of the impact. The planet was similar in size to either Earth or Mars.
If confirmed, the research will help us better understand the origins and history of our planet. You know, as long as you believe Earth is a spheroid planet, and not a flat surface floating in space.
Bizzaro World
Planet Clair and Planet Bob.
,,,,,, well I do know that democrats and liberals are definitely from the planet Uranis . Their politics stink .
I like Shakira theory instead. Her hips don’t lie.
So it’s true after all! Trump supporters are from a different planet! :-)
It would certainly help explain why Earth is a big size for a rock planet.
Why then are the earth and moon both round? One would think if they were the result of some cosmic collision, they would be shaped accordingly.
Not a new theory - there is a documentary called “If we had no Moon” from several years ago that delves into this. Pretty interesting.
Every existing planet is the result of collisions between smaller ones. That is the prevailing theory on how planets are formed.
My Theia theory is that Theia was a big ball of water and give us our oceans. :)
Actually it’s 3.
First World
Second World
Third World
That theory has been around a long time.
I’m going to say this is the planet Theia and Earth slammed into it.
Perhaps planet rotation does something to round them off over the millennia.
It was ground down into a ball by Kruger Industrial Smoothing.
Doubt it. If there were a glancing collision, the moon would be spinning quickly and moving away from Earth at a rapid clip.
for a minute, i was thinking “journey to the far side of the sun” aka ‘doppelganger’
An older theory said the moon split from the Pacific Ocean area; thus leaving thinner crust there (and hence, the Ring of Fire, plus lots of volcanic action forming the Pacific islands).
Also, the side of the moon facing us is reflective stone (granite?) which is also allegedly missing from the crust area beneath the Pacific (sorry if I got the nature of the stone wrong). The back side of the moon, which never faces us, is not the same reflective material.
Because they are large enough that their own gravity eventually pulls them into spheres.
Liquid or molten objects form into spheres fairly quickly, but even solid, rocky objects will form into spheres over the course of a billion years or so if they are large enough.
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