A Multiple-Impact Origin for the Moon

The formation of the Moon has remained something of a puzzle. A leading theory proposes a cataclysmic impact involving a Mars-sized object and a young Earth. But there are some inconsistencies with this scenario. A new study at the Weizmann Institute of Science, based on hundreds of simulations run on a computer cluster, suggests that a more plausible chain of events might involve a number of run-ins with smaller objects. This would have produced smaller moonlets that would have eventually coalesced into the single Moon we have today. To read the full article, click on the link: