The NASAThis week, the US space agency shared a video showing the process of creating the moon, In a new theory about the origins of our natural satellite, about 4.5 billion years ago.
The simulation was performed by a supercomputer during an agency study. The video begins with a Mars-sized celestial body (Theia) colliding with our planet.
The debris from the collision then turns into two other bodies that begin a “space dance” caused by the force of gravity.
A NASA simulation shows the formation of the moon. Image: NASA
In the images, it is possible to see that the smaller star is being swallowed completely by the super-hot ball of gas and magma that will be our Earth, while the other star is launched into orbit.
According to NASA, all this would have happened in a few hours. The ultimate explanation for this formation has baffled scholars for decades.
Most theories claim that the moon formed from the debris of this collision, but it took months or even years.
“This simulation opens up a whole new set of potential starting points for lunar evolution,” said Jacob Kejris, a postdoctoral researcher at NASA.
