Earth Had Two Moons That Crashed to Form One, Study Suggests

[YosemiteSam]

There is a very cool video of the creation of the moon corresponding with this article (the two moons)

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A tiny second moon may once have orbited Earth before catastrophically slamming into the other one, a titanic clash that could explain why the two sides of the surviving lunar satellite are so different from each other, a new study suggests.

The second moon around Earth would have been about 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) wide and could have formed from the same collision between the planet and a Mars-sized object that scientists suspect helped create the moon we see in the sky today, astronomers said.

The gravitational tug of war between the Earth and moon slowed the rate at which it whirls, such that it now always shows just one side to Earth. The far side of the moon remained a mystery for centuries until 1959, when the Soviet Luna 3 spacecraft first snapped photos of it.

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[WV Cowboy]

The moon controls the tide.

Hard to believe two moons accidentally crashed into each other and made everything perfect.

 

[YosemiteSam]

The moon controls the tide.

Hard to believe two moons accidentally crashed into each other and made everything perfect.

What do you mean, made everything perfect?

If I understand you, I would more likely say; it's amazing that it required a planet the size of Venus to smash into the Earth and make everything perfect (including producing two moons that later formed into a single moon that helps the Earth realize life as we know it)

 

[WV Cowboy]

If I understand you, I would more likely say; it's amazing that it required a planet the size of Venus to smash into the Earth and make everything perfect (including producing two moons that later formed into a single moon that helps the Earth realize life as we know it)

You can believe all of that.

 

[YosemiteSam]

You can believe all of that.

:laugh2:

You know much about physics? If you did, you wouldn't be saying that.

 

[Dallas]

I don't believe this at all. Imagine astroids colliding and what happens to them. Now do the same thing with planet sized astroids.

You would have something like 1/3 of the moon's surface completely removed.

Nope...ain't buyin this one bit.

 

[YosemiteSam]

I don't believe this at all. Imagine astroids colliding and what happens to them. Now do the same thing with planet sized astroids.

You would have something like 1/3 of the moon's surface completely removed.

Nope...ain't buyin this one bit.

Not to mention, how the hell did all the damn roaches survive!

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Not to mention, how the hell did all the damn roaches survive!

They all had pretty good Lawyers.

 

[joseephuss]

I don't believe this at all. Imagine astroids colliding and what happens to them. Now do the same thing with planet sized astroids.

You would have something like 1/3 of the moon's surface completely removed.

Nope...ain't buyin this one bit.

Maybe 1/3 of the original size of the moon was completely removed at the time. They are suggesting the second moon was not that large in mass even though it was large in size. It was about 1/3 the size of the moon, but only about 4% of it's mass.