Scientists Reveal Origins of Giant Object That Smashed Into Earth

One fateful day about 4.5 billion years ago , a Mars-sized body called Theia collided with proto-Earth , turning both into a molten mess of rock and metal. Once the debris had coalesced, two distinct objects remained locked in an orbit – Earth and its Moon.

But where did Theia come from? Right here in the warmer, cozier confines of the inner Solar System, it appears. In fact, Theia and proto-Earth may have been neighbors!

More specifically, Theia may have originated even closer to the Sun than we are today; perhaps closer than most of the material that accreted to form our own baby planet.

These insights come courtesy of a recent study led by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) and the University of Chicago.

Researchers analyzed samples fro