40 percent of the moon is from a planet that exploded … – Reuters

MADRID, 6 June (IRIN) –

A new analysis of lunar rocks that sustains our satellite born in a giant collision between Earth and a mysterious nascent large rocky planet.

Earth formed about 4,500 million years ago, and scientists think the moon was born shortly after . The prevailing explanation for the origin of the moon, known as the giant impact hypothesis is that it was the result of two colliding protoplanets: Earth formation and an object the size of Mars called Theia . A lot of debris eventually formed the Moon.

“The giant impact hypothesis is valid for explaining most of the features of the moon,” said lead study author Daniel Herwartz, isotope geochemical University of Göttingen in Germany

For example, a collision of this type could help explain why the moon is low in substances that evaporate fairly facility, such as water. “The reports of small amounts of water on the moon do not change that vision,” said Herwartz. “ Compared to Earth, the moon is still completely dry ,” he said.

However, scientists still have doubts about this idea because of the chemistry of the Moon . The giant impact models often say that the moon should be formed in approximately 70 percent of the remains of Theia. The problem is that most of the planets in the solar system have unique chemical signatures , and the Earth and its moon should also have them. However, the Earth and the Moon appear similar when it comes to versions of elements called isotopes.

CHEMICAL DIFFERENCES IN EARTH AND MOON SIGNATURES

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Now, for the first time Herwartz and colleagues found differences in the isotopic composition of the Earth and Moon findings that support the giant impact hypothesis of how the moon formed

The researchers focused on two different ratios of oxygen isotopes -. oxygen-16, which has eight neutrons in its nucleus, and oxygen-17, which has nine. oxygen isotope ratios can vary greatly from one planet to another.

Initially, the scientists examined the moon rocks that the moon went flying by cosmic impacts and landed on the Earth as meteorites. However, these samples were contaminated by oxygen isotopes in the water on Earth .

However, Herwartz and colleagues observed lunar rocks provided by NASA were collected by astronauts during the Apollo missions. The researchers found that these rocks contain slightly more oxygen-17 to oxygen-16 compared with terrestrial rocks.

MOON IS IN A 40% THEIA

“The differences are small and difficult to detect, but they are there,” said Herwartz. “We now have an idea of ​​the composition of Theia.” The new data suggest that the moon can be made in about 40 percent of Theia . The researchers proposed that Theia was similar to meteorites known as enstatite chondrites.

“This group of meteorites has a very, very similar isotopic composition to Earth,” said Herwartz. “Such a composition of Theia explain why they had not detected oxygen isotopic differences or any other isotope system to date.”