The Moon, the only natural satellite of the Earth and the fifth largest in the Solar System. It is the second brightest object in the sky after the Sun, even though its surface is dark. So many discoveries and so many mysteries to be discovered by the POT.
Since the US space agency was founded on October 1, 1958, the Moon has been one of the obsessions of scientists, especially since the 1960s, when the first NASA astronauts landed on the lunar surface.
Despite its vast history and endless anecdotes, little has been said about how our natural satellite was born and when that moment happened. Fortunately, recent agency research answers these questions.
How and when was the Moon born?
According to a report published on the website of Timewhich the study cites, the Moon could have formed in a matter of hours and billions of years ago, when material from Earth and a planet called “Theia” were launched directly into orbitwhich is known as an orbit jump.
“This analysis is a scientific puzzle that researchers have studied for decades, without a conclusive answer.”, indicates NASA.
Jacob Kegerreis, a researcher at the US space agency’s Ames Center, added: “This possibility opens up a whole new range of possible starting points for the evolution of the Moon.”.
“It was exciting that the data could include an enticing Moon-like satellite in orbitKegerreis said of the investigation.
Researchers seek to understand how the Moon’s mass and orbit arose by studying lunar rock samples. Findings in the labs reveal similar isotopic signatures to rocks on Earth, supporting the hypothesis that “much of the material that makes up the Moon originally came from Earth.”