The newborn Earth was struck by a Mars-size rock that helped create the moon, and the impact may have left behind continent-size remnants of the rock near Earth's core, a new study finds.
A supercomputer simulation has provided new evidence that continent-sized chunks of Theia, which helped create the moon, may still survive in the boundary between our planet's mantle and the core.
Researchers have long suspected that the Moon was formed after a Mars-sized protoplanet dubbed Theia smashed into the primordial Earth some 4.5 billion years ago. The literally Earth-shattering event caused huge amounts of debris to become dislodged, forming our planet's lonely satellite. Globs of the stuff may have also melted into the surface of the […]
The study suggests the Earth's core may be leaking helium, upheaving the belief that the giant ball of molten iron at the center of our planet is sealed away.
Liftoff to the distant asteroid is scheduled for Oct. 5, 2023 – the beginning of a six-year journey to one of the most unusual objects in the solar system.