Do you know how the Moon was born? Four and a half billion years ago our natural satellite did not exist. Today, astronomers know that the Moon arose from the impact with our Earth of a planet called Theia, which would have been the same size as Mars.
The recent discovery was made through a computer simulation, which made it possible to discover that in reality our Moon would not have formed in hundreds of thousands of years or millions of years, but in a few hours.
Theia would tear up a part of our planet and a part of it would fall to Earth. The fragments left in orbit would have joined together to form the Moon. When we turn our gaze to the satellite, let us remember that if we have such a bright gift in the sky, it is thanks to that impact.
Images: Nasa
Voice and text: Manuel Floris, astrophysicist and director of the Planetarium of L'Unione Sarda
(Unioneonline)
