Giant Impact
The giant-impact hypothesis, sometimes called the Big Splash, or the Theia (planet), Theia Impact, suggests that the Moon formed from the ejecta of a collision between the proto-Earth and a Mars-sized planet, approximately 4.5 billion years ago, in the Hadean eon (about 20 to 100 million years after the Solar System coalesced). The colliding body is sometimes called Theia (planet), Theia, from the name of Theia, the mythical Greek Titan who was the mother of Selene, the goddess of the Moon. Analysis of lunar rocks, published in a 2016 report, suggests that the impact might have been a direct hit, causing a thorough mixing of both parent bodies. The giant-impact hypothesis is currently the favored scientific hypothesis for the Origin of the Moon, formation of the Moon. Supporting evidence includes: * Earth's spin and the Moon's orbit have similar orientations. * The Earth–Moon system contains an anomalously high angular momentum. Meaning, the momentum contained in Earth's r ...
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