moon emerged from the so-called giant impact, which occurred 4.5 billion years ago and the other between Protoearth protoplanet about the size of Mars, scientists were finally convinced. Despite the fact that this hypothesis of the origin of the Moon has always been prevalent, still indisputable evidence in its favor has been submitted.
scientists presented his results in article published in the journal Science on Friday night Moscow time.
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Of the more than one hundred and fifty moons of the solar system, our moon is just as considered its special origin. Other natural satellites are either alien planetesimals either born simultaneously with the parent planet from one of the accretion disk. However, many features such as a low content of water and other volatiles on the moon, a very small kernel, it is similar to the angular momentum of the Earth and others, led scientists to suggest another scenario it occurs – the giant impact scenario.
The problem was that every planet in the solar system is inherent in his own unique isotopic composition, so that planetesimals, she was named Theia, it would be reasonable to assume isotopic composition different from the earth.
By many estimates, Theia gave the creation of the Moon from 70 to 90% of its weight. However, there are other versions, according to which Theia hit Earth too tangential, snatching her from a big chunk of weight and then having departed somewhere, and she gave to the moon is not more than 8% of its substance. The difficulty was in the fact that when they hit the Protoearth Theia could give her up to 50% of its isotopic signature, so finding the differences even more difficult.
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But anyway, still no isotopic differences in lunar and terrestrial soils were found.
Although seemingly have measured exactly five ppm.
new installation, created in Gettingentskom University, allowed the researchers to more accurately measure the isotopic composition of materials. Deciding to compare it to the lunar and terrestrial basalts, the scientists used the substance for the start of the lunar meteorites, but the difference with terrestrial materials have not found any – in their opinion, the celestial aliens from the moon, during his stay on this planet were pretty clogged local isotopes. Therefore, their next step was to study the lunar soil samples brought back to Earth by three expeditions mission “Apollo».
scientists focused their attention on the isotopes of oxygen.
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As a result, in all three samples brought back from the moon, the oxygen-17 to 9-thousandths percent higher than that detected in the ground samples.
“This difference is too small, but it is, – says Daniel Hervardts, led the study. – And this leads us to two conclusions. First, we can say with certainty that the giant impact really happened. Second, it gives us the opportunity to say something about the geochemistry Theia. Next goal – to know how much material actually went to the moon from Theia ».
In 70-90% Hervardts believes. He believes that most likely, the Moon from the Earth and Theia inherited, as it should inherit from their parents, 50 to 50.
And finally, and the question remains, what had become of Theia after the collision, what happened to her, whether she died in subsequent conflicts, some fell on Jupiter or become part of us have long known planet.
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