• Question: How did the moon beigin.

    Asked by 753tund47 to Aimee, Gemma, Hussain, Robert, Ross on 9 Nov 2015.
    • Photo: Ross King

      Ross King answered on 9 Nov 2015:

      Great question! Many scientists think that the moon was formed after an event they call “The Big Splash”.

      Space scientists (also called astrophysicists) think that about 4.5 billion years ago, a large object from space roughly the size of the planet Mars crashed into the Earth. This giant crash caused lots of dust and rock to be released from the surface of the Earth and the energy of the impact caused all of this to be flung out into space. All of this material stuck together to form our moon in a very quick space of time.

      We think that the moon was formed in this way for many different reasons. One reason is the fact that the moon is made up of many of the same elements and chemicals as the earth is. If the moon was made from bits of the earth, then we would expect their make-up to be quite similar! What do you think?

    • Photo: Hussain Jaffery

      Hussain Jaffery answered on 9 Nov 2015:

      That’s right, the moon came from this huge collision of the newly forming Earth and another new planet called Thea. Thea crashed into Earth, and the result was the formation of the moon. The Earth and the Moon both soon cooled down and round off to become the nice spheres we know today.

      But just thinking how amazing it is that the two planets crashed into one another so long ago and now we are sitting on the result of that collision and also looking up at the sky, at that same result makes my hair tingle!

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