Scientists conclude that today’s Earth is a combination of two planets over 4.5 billion years ago.
Recently, a study from the University of California (USA) concluded that our Earth today is a combination of two planets over 4.5 billion years ago.
Previously, scientists believed the Moon was created by a powerful collision between Earth and a smaller planet called Theia. The collision caused Theia to rupture, creating our current Moon.
However, if this is the case, the chemical makeup of the Moon should be different from ours, as most of the Moon is made up of Theia. But thanks to real tests from the University of California, the Moon has the same isotopes of oxygen that we do, namely O-17 and O-18.
This proves that the collision between Theia and the previous Earth must have been so strong that the two planets melted together, forming the new Earth. During this process, a piece of debris was ejected to form the Moon.
If you’re curious, the video below will give you a more visual look at how the Moon was created.
Professor Young said, “Theia has merged with the Earth and the Moon, which is why we don’t see signs of Theia on both planets.”
This event took place about 100 million years after the formation of the Earth – about 4.5 billion years ago. At that time, Theia was a small planet, so she could not “survive” the impact.
According to Professor Young, without this event, Theia could grow to the size of either Mars or Earth completely. Without even ruling out the possibility that Theia could still nurture life.
