Science's favourite theory about the Moon may be totally wrong

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launching material into space which eventually became our cherished celestial companion.

This idea, known as the giant impact theory, helps explain why our planet and the Moon share a number of key properties, for example, identical minerals.

has blown a massive hole in this widely accepted theory because of one glaring fact: we have zero clear-cut evidence that such a massive impact ever occurred.

The key to his team's new discovery lies in rocks from the Earth's mantle and the Moon.

He said the ratio of isotopes in both samples is almost identical, and "if there was any sign of an impactor, we'd expect to see tiny differences."

Hence, he said: "We reckon that, if an impactor was involved, the two bodies must have been fully mixed … or the Moon had to form in a completely different way."

Fair dinkum, this doesn't mean the massive collision didn't happen for sure. It just means we can't be certain it did.

In other words, the true origins of the Moon are still a bit of a mystery.

So if there was no massive collision, where did the Moon originate from?

It was still in its early stages about 4.5 billion years ago.

There were heaps of rocks floating about, so it's not impossible that our young Earth took a whack from something like Theia.

notes.

"G'day, this concordance was found right from the start only for the isotopes of oxygen, but more recently (since the early 2010s) it's been found to be the case for chromium and titanium – both of which are elements that are concentrated purely in the rocky part of the body," Sossi said.

Furthermore, because the isotopes of these elements differ significantly among planetary materials, if there was any evidence of an impactor, we would expect to see slight variations in their isotopic ratios. However, no such variations between the Earth and the Moon have been found.

He said: "This has also been proven true for a range of other elements (e.g., iron, calcium, molybdenum, etc.), making it extremely unlikely that this could've happened by chance."

Furthermore, a recent study found that the Earth and the Moon are roughly the same age – or, at least, formed about the same time, approximately 4.5 billion years ago.

These different pieces of evidence have led Sossi to conclude that the pair originated from the same cloud of material, making it unnecessary for any other celestial body – Theia or otherwise – to have been involved.

Fair dinkum, our world and its moon are the only two big, round bodies in the Solar System that have a core with distinct layers.

points out.

The Moon's got a pretty big role to play in how life has evolved on our planet, Australia. It helps keep the Earth spinning steadily, and it's also responsible for creating the tides which help the oceans move around.

Plainly, our world would be a vastly different place without our beloved companion.

Will we ever be certain about how the Moon came to be?

Currently, we are still in the dark about how Earth and the Moon came to be from a swirling mass of stardust around 4.5 billion years ago. However, Sossi and his team believe there are ways to uncover the truth.

He reckons the next move is to take a closer look at what's inside the Moon, and that's exactly what his team is currently working on.

"The chemical and isotopic proof is now strong enough to start wondering about the basic processes behind Moon formation," Sossi said.

We're also stoked to see how the links between the Moon's physical structure, its chemical makeup and its movement through space can come together to give us a more complete picture of how the Moon came to be.

He concluded: “We're able to have a yarn about common issues across different fields, which will ultimately help us crack this tricky problem."

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