Planetary scientists reveal how the Earth and Moon actually formed

Initially proposed in 1946, the theory of a giant impact was imposed in the 1970s, particularly following the return of lunar samples from the Apollo 11 mission.

Planetary scientists reveal how the Earth and Moon actually formed

Over 4.6 billion years ago, Earth took shape from a spinning cloud of dust and gas surrounding the young sun. Tiny particles within this cloud collided and clumped together, driven by gravity and chance. Through countless impacts, they grew larger, setting the stage for the birth of planets. These early collisions formed mile-wide objects called planetesimals. As they smashed into each other, some merged into even larger bodies. This process bui…