Theia Impact

Solar System

Bits of Theia Might Be in Earth's Mantle

A "smoking gun" for the ancient calamity that formed Earth’s large Moon may still exist deep in the mantle of our planet.

Theia's hit-and-run collision, in color

Solar System

Two Impacts, Not Just One, May Have Formed The Moon

The Moon may have formed in a one-two punch, new simulations suggest.

Two planets colliding

Solar System

Could a Long-Ago Collision Explain Our Two-Faced Moon?

New research shows that a planetoid impact could have made our Moon asymmetric.

Terrestrial Synestia (art)

Solar System

Could a Giant Impact Have Vaporized Earth to Create the Moon?

In a new twist on the giant impact theory, a new idea posits that the Moon might have formed from the vaporized remains of Earth after an epic collision with another planet-sized body.

Formation of the Moon

Solar System

When and How Did the Moon Form?

New studies offer contrasting scenarios for making the Moon. One argues for a one big splat early in solar-system history; a second envisions a score of lesser blows that built up the Moon over time; and a third suggests water was involved.

Two planets colliding

Solar System

Three New Findings About the Moon

Researchers have announced interesting news concerning the Moon, especially about how and when it formed, and why the "Man in the Moon" constantly stares at us whenever the lunar disk is fully lit.

Solar System

Making the Moon Anew

One of the solar system's most nagging problems literally stares into the collective faces of planetary scientists on many nights every month. It's the Moon — or, specifically, how it came to exist.

Solar System

Big Splat Could Have Reshaped the Moon

Recent research suggests that the thick, heavily cratered crust on the Moon's far side could be the pasted-on remains of a second satellite that once orbited the early Earth.