Supercomputer simulation can unlock the mystery of the formation of the moon

Astronomers have taken a step to understand that 4.5. Moon How could the moon be formed from a massive collision between Earth and another large object billions of years ago.

Scientists led by the University of Durham in the UK conducted a super computer simulation to send a Mars-sized planet called Thea to the DRAC high-performance computing facility, which crashed at the beginning of Earth.

Their similarities created an orbiting body that could potentially evolve into a moon-like object.

Researchers are wary of saying that there is no definitive evidence of the moon’s origin, although they added that it could be a promising platform in understanding how our closest neighbor could be formed.

The findings are published in the journal Monthly instructions of the Royal Astronomical Society.

The moon is believed to have originated in a collision between Earth and Thea, which scientists believe would have been an ancient planet in our solar system, about the size of Mars.

For four days after their collision, researchers conducted simulations to find material from the initial Earth and Thea, then other simulations, such as pool balls, after spinning Thea.

The simulation collision with the initial earth produces different results depending on the size and direction of the initial spin of Thea.

An extreme collision brought the two together together while the other side saw the effect of a grazing hit and run.

Significantly, the simulation without adding spin to thea produced self-gravitational material with about 80 percent lunar material, creating a second lunar-like object when a small amount of spin was added.

The affected Earth, which settles into orbit around the Earth after impact, will grow by clearing the debris of debris around our planet.

The simulated lump also has a small iron core, similar to the moon, with an outer layer of material composed of early earth and thea.

A recent analysis of the oxygen isotope ratio in lunar samples collected by the Apollo space mission suggests that a combination of early Earth and effective materials could have formed the moon.

Leading author Sergio Ruiz-Bonilla, Ph.D. Researchers at the University of Durham’s Institute of Computational Cosmology said: “Adding different amounts of spin to the thea in simulation, or even if there is no spin, it gives you a whole range of different results for what would have happened at the beginning of the earth. .

“It’s exciting that some of our simulations have produced this orbiting cluster of material that is not much smaller than the Moon, with a disk of extra material around the Earth after the orbit, which will help the difficulty to grow into a mass over time.

“I wouldn’t say this is the moon, but it’s definitely a very interesting place to keep looking.”

The research team, led by Durham, now plans to run more simulations than changes in mass, speed and spinning rate, both target and effective, to see what potential impact the moon has on formation.

Co-author of Durham University’s Institute of Computational Cosmology, Dr. Vincent Ike said: “We get a lot of different results depending on whether we will introduce a spin before Thiane crashes on early Earth.

“It is especially interesting that when no spin or very little spin is added to the Thea the effect with the initial Earth leaves debris behind, which in some cases involves a body worthy of being known as the Proto-Moon.

“There could be a number of potential collisions that are yet to be investigated that could bring us even closer to understanding how the moon formed in the first place.”