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The multiple impact hypothesis proposes that the Moon formed through a series of smaller collisions, rather than a single giant impact. This study advances our understanding of this hypothesis, as well as moon collisions in other contexts,…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2024-11-14 Uri Malamud , Hagai Perets

The Giant Impact is currently accepted as the leading theory for the formation of Earth's Moon. Successful scenarios for lunar origin should be able to explain the chemical composition of the Moon (volatile content and stable isotope…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2017-11-15 Amy C. Barr

The Moon is generally thought to have formed from the debris ejected by the impact of a planet-sized object with the proto-Earth towards the end of planetary accretion. Modeling of the impact process predicts that the lunar material was…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2016-04-19 Kaveh Pahlevan , Alessandro Morbidelli

The hypothesis of lunar origin by a single giant impact can explain some aspects of the Earth-Moon system. However, it is difficult to reconcile giant impact models with the compositional similarity of the Earth and Moon without violating…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2019-03-07 Raluca Rufu , Oded Aharonson , Hagai B. Perets

The leading theory for the origin of the Moon is the giant impact hypothesis, in which the Moon was formed out of the debris left over from the collision of a Mars-sized body with the Earth. Soon after its formation, the orbit of the Moon…

Popular Physics · Physics 2015-03-11 Emil Noordeh , Patrick Hall , Matija Cuk

According to the giant impact theory, the Moon formed through accreting the debris disk produced by a collision between Theia and the proto-Earth, and the predicted lunar orbital inclination relative to the Earth's equatorial plane is about…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2026-04-01 Wenshuai Liu

The leading hypothesis for the origin of the Moon, that of a single giant impact, faces significant challenges. These include either the need for an impactor with a near-identical composition to Earth or an extremely high-mass or…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2025-12-12 Harrison Davies , Philip J. Carter , Louis Eddershaw , Jingyao Dou , Zoë M. Leinhardt

Simulations of the moon-forming impact suggest that most of the lunar material derives from the impactor rather than the Earth. Measurements of lunar samples, however, reveal an oxygen isotope composition that is indistinguishable from…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2010-12-27 Kaveh Pahlevan , David Stevenson

According to the giant impact theory, the Moon formed by accreting the circum-terrestrial debris disk produced by Theia colliding with the proto-Earth. The giant impact theory can explain most of the properties of the Earth-Moon system,…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2025-05-15 Wenshuai Liu

The giant impact hypothesis remains the leading theory for lunar origin. However, current models struggle to explain the Moon's composition and isotopic similarity with Earth. Here we present a new lunar origin model. High-energy,…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2018-03-01 Simon J. Lock , Sarah T. Stewart , Michail I. Petaev , Zoe M. Leinhardt , Mia T. Mace , Stein B. Jacobsen , Matija Ćuk

The solar system planets are benchmarks for the planet formation theory. Yet two paradigms coexist for the four terrestrial planets: the prolonged collisional growth among planetesimals lasting $>100$ million years (Myr) and the fast…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2024-11-25 Tong Fang , Rongxi Bi , Hui Zhang , You Zhou , Christian Reinhardt , Hongping Deng

Most of the properties of the Earth-Moon system can be explained by a collision between a planetary embryo and the growing Earth late in the accretion process. Simulations show that most of the material that eventually aggregates to form…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2015-06-24 Alessandra Mastrobuono-Battisti , Hagai B. Perets , Sean N. Raymond

The Moon is traditionally thought to have coalesced from the debris ejected by a giant impact onto the early Earth. However, such models struggle to explain the similar isotopic compositions of Earth and lunar rocks at the same time as the…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2022-10-06 Jacob A. Kegerreis , Sergio Ruiz-Bonilla , Vincent R. Eke , Richard J. Massey , Thomas D. Sandnes , Luís F. A. Teodoro

In the giant impact hypothesis for lunar origin, the Moon accreted from an equatorial circum-terrestrial disk; however the current lunar orbital inclination of 5 degrees requires a subsequent dynamical process that is still debated. In…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2018-02-12 Matija Ćuk , Douglas P. Hamilton , Simon J. Lock , Sarah T. Stewart

In the leading theory of lunar formation, known as the giant impact hypothesis, a collision between two planet-size objects resulted in a young Earth surrounded by a circumplanetary debris disk from which the Moon later accreted. The range…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2023-07-13 Miles Timpe , Christian Reinhardt , Thomas Meier , Joachim Stadel , Ben Moore

The proposed multi-impact model explains the formation of the Moon, Charon, and binary asteroids without invoking catastrophic cosmic events. The main elements of the new model are as follows: a. A primordial, low-mass proto-satellite disk…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2025-12-30 Nick Gorkavyi

According to the giant impact theory, the Moon formed through accreting the debris disk produced by a collision between Theia and the proto-Earth. The giant impact theory can explain most of the properties of the Earth-Moon system, however,…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2025-09-09 Wenshuai Liu

In the leading theory of lunar formation, known as the giant impact hypothesis, a collision between two planet-size objects resulted in a young Earth surrounded by a circumplanetary debris disk from which the Moon later accreted. The range…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2024-11-20 Thomas Meier , Christian Reinhardt , Miles Timpe , Joachim Stadel , Ben Moore

The Earth's Moon is thought to have formed from a circumterrestrial disk generated by a giant impact between the proto-Earth and an impactor approximately 4.5 billion years ago. Since the impact was energetic, the disk would have been hot…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2018-12-31 Miki Nakajima , David J. Stevenson

The Moon exhibits striking geological asymmetries in elevation, crustal thickness, and composition between its nearside and farside. Although several scenarios have been proposed to explain these asymmetries, their origin remains debated.…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2020-11-30 Meng-Hua Zhu , Kai Wunnemann , Ross W. K. Potter , Thorsten Kleine , Alessandro Morbidelli
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