Astronomers have long believed that our Moon formed after a collision between Earth and another planet called Theia about 4.5 billion years ago, but studies of Earth and lunar rocks suggested otherwise. Now, a new analysis of the composition of lunar rocks collected by astronauts from the Apollo missions may help finally solve this mystery.
Thanks to the analysis of various isotopes in lunar and terrestrial samples, we can already be reasonably sure that this great collision took place . Those responsible for this discovery have been a team of researchers coordinated by Dr. Daniel Herwartz of the University of Göttingen (Germany) who measured oxygen isotopes that provided the necessary evidence to confirm that the Moon originated due to the collision of Theia against the Land.
"The differences are small and difficult to detect, but there they are," emphasizes Herwartz in the study published in the journal Science.
