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There is growing evidence and belief among Earth scientists that there was indeed a giant impact with a large body somewhere between the size(s) of Planet Mercury and Planet Mars which struck the Earth some 4.5 billion years ago. This is commonly referred to as the "Giant Impact Hypothesis". Strong support for this theory comes from many angles. One of which is the fact that Moon rock and Earth rock is derived from the same compounds.
The commonly accepted name for the Planetary body believed to have struck and molded with Earth is "Theia". This designation was first proposed by the English geochemist Alex N. Halliday in 2000 and has since become accepted in the scientific community. According to modern theories of planet formation, Theia was part of a population of Mars-sized bodies that existed in the Solar System 4.5 billion years ago. Indeed, one of the attractive features of the giant impact hypothesis is that the formation of the Moon fits into the context of the formation of the Earth itself: during the course of its formation, the Earth is thought to have experienced dozens of collisions with such planet-sized bodies. The Moon-forming collision was only one such "giant impact" and perhaps the last.
Because of gravity, the surface of the moon and Earth have smoothed over millions of years. Theia was engulfed by the Earth, in theory, making Earth much larger than it was prior to the impact, even though large chunks fell off which ultimately formed the moon.
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Earth is orbited by a large what?
Earth is orbited by a large natural satellite known as the Moon.
What is Closest heavenly body of the moon?
The closest heavenly body to the Moon is Earth. The Moon orbits around Earth at an average distance of about 384,400 kilometers.
Which planetary body orbits the Earth?
The Moon is the planetary body that orbits the Earth.
Why is earth's moon unusual?
Earth's moon is unusually large in proportion to its planet.
Did the earth make the moon?
The leading scientific theory is that the Moon was formed from debris left over after a celestial body, possibly the size of Mars, collided with Earth early in its history. This collision would have ejected material that eventually coalesced to form the Moon.
What is the theory about the origin of the moon?
The moon resulted when a large body struck Earth.
What is a large body of rock or gas that orbits the earth?
umm... The moon?
Earth is orbited by a large what?
Earth is orbited by a large natural satellite known as the Moon.
What is Closest heavenly body of the moon?
The closest heavenly body to the Moon is Earth. The Moon orbits around Earth at an average distance of about 384,400 kilometers.
Which planetary body orbits the Earth?
The Moon is the planetary body that orbits the Earth.
Did the moon and earth form together?
No, they did not form at the same time because the Moon formed after the Earth. The most likely theory is that shortly after the Earth formed 4.5 billion years ago, a giant object (about the size of Mars) collided with the Earth. Large amounts of debris were thrown into space which began orbiting earth and eventually came together to form the moon.
The body that's circles the earth is called?
The body that circles the Earth is called the Moon.
Why is earth's moon unusual?
Earth's moon is unusually large in proportion to its planet.
How large is the earth's moon?
The Earth-moon distance is about 250000 miles
Did the earth make the moon?
The leading scientific theory is that the Moon was formed from debris left over after a celestial body, possibly the size of Mars, collided with Earth early in its history. This collision would have ejected material that eventually coalesced to form the Moon.
What is the most widely accepted idea about the origin of the moon?
The moon resulted when a large body struck Earth.
What was the distance from the Earth to the Moon at its formation?
The Moon was - probably - formed when a planet perhaps as large as Mars collided with the Earth. The mass blown out of the Earth merged with the fragments of the other, now destroyed, planet to form the Moon. How far apart are two colliding cars? Zero.
