Moon formation may have occurred in five hours, simulations show

New computer simulations suggest that the Moon may have formed in as little as five hours following a massive collision between the early Earth and a Mars-sized body known as Theia.

While the traditional giant impact hypothesis posits that debris from such a collision remained in orbit for a long period before gradually aggregating into a solid body, these new models provide a different timeline. By accounting for the material resistance and the specific temperatures of the colliding planetary bodies, researchers found that the expelled material could compact almost immediately.

The temperature of the involved bodies is a critical factor, as it dictates how materials behave when pulverized and melted during the impact. In certain scenarios, this leads to the rapid formation of an intact Moon rather than a slow accumulation of debris over geological timescales.