{"id":125877,"date":"2020-12-04T03:00:01","date_gmt":"2020-12-04T00:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/supercomputer-simulations-could-unlock-mystery-of-moons-formation\/"},"modified":"2020-12-04T03:00:01","modified_gmt":"2020-12-04T00:00:01","slug":"supercomputer-simulations-could-unlock-mystery-of-moons-formation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/supercomputer-simulations-could-unlock-mystery-of-moons-formation\/","title":{"rendered":"#Supercomputer simulations could unlock mystery of Moon’s formation"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Supercomputer simulations could unlock mystery of Moon’s formation<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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\"Supercomputer
\n Still image from a cross section of a 3D simulation run by researchers investigating how a collision between the early-Earth and a Mars-size object might have led to the formation of the Moon. Credit: Sergio Ruiz-Bonilla
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Astronomers have taken a step towards understanding how the Moon might have formed out of a giant collision between the early Earth and another massive object 4.5 billion years ago.<\/p>\n


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Scientists led by Durham University, UK, ran supercomputer simulations on the DiRAC High-Performance Computing facility to send a Mars-sized planet\u2014called Theia\u2014crashing into the early Earth.<\/p>\n

Their simulations produced an orbiting body that could potentially evolve into a Moon-like object.<\/p>\n

While the researchers are careful to say that this is not definitive proof of the Moon’s origin, they add that it could be a promising stage in understanding how our nearest neighbour might have formed.<\/p>\n

The findings are published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society<\/i>.<\/p>\n

The Moon is thought to have formed in a collision between the early Earth and Theia, which scientists believe might have been an ancient planet in our solar system, about the size of Mars.<\/p>\n

Researchers ran simulations to track material from the early Earth and Theia for four days after their collision, then ran other simulations after spinning Theia like a pool ball.<\/p>\n

The simulated collision with the early Earth produced different results depending upon the size and direction of Theia’s initial spin.<\/p>\n