On the back of the discovery of a planet collision in a nearby solar system, NASA has illustrated just how destructive the event could be. NASA’s SOFIA spacecraft detected warm dust in a nearby planetary system, which indicates that it was superheated after two major celestial bodies collided. An illustration from the space agency shows a ring of fire bursting from the interior of each planet as both of them crumble under the sheer force.
Rocks and gas were ejected from the planet, as any life, if hypothetically there was life on these bodies, would be obliterated in a matter of seconds.
NASA said: “This artist’s concept illustrates a catastrophic collision between two rocky exoplanets in the planetary system BD +20 307, turning both into dusty debris.
“Ten years ago, scientists speculated that the warm dust in this system was a result of a planet-to-planet collision.
“Now, NASA’s SOFIA mission found even more warm dust, further supporting that two rocky exoplanets collided. This helps build a more complete picture of our own solar system’s history.”
However, when planets and other celestial bodies collide, the resulting debris and ejecta can allow new objects to form in space as gravity begins to clump the leftovers together over billions of years.
NASA continued: “Such a collision could be similar to the type of catastrophic event that ultimately created our Moon.”
Some scientists believe the Moon was formed when a Mars-sized infant planet – known as Theia – hit Earth with a glancing blow, striking at a 45 degree angle some 4.5 billion years ago.
As a result, chunks of Theia and Earth collected in Earth’s orbit to eventually form the Moon.
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Chunks of molten rock from Earth joined the synestia, which allowed the Moon to form.
In astronomical terms, synestias are extremely brief, only lasting for a couple hundred years, before they shrink rapidly, causing rock vapour to condense into liquid, which ultimately becomes the core of a planet, or in this case the Moon.
According to experts, this would explain why the Moon has a different chemical composition from Earth as the majority of it is formed from another planet.
Sarah Stewart, professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at University of California, said: “The Moon is chemically almost the same as the Earth, but with some differences.
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“This is the first model that can match the pattern of the Moon’s composition.”
Simon Lock, graduate student at Harvard and visiting student at UC Davis who first developed the idea of synestias, said: “Our model starts with a collision that forms a synestia.
“The Moon forms inside the vaporised Earth at temperatures of four to six thousand degrees Fahrenheit and pressures of tens of atmospheres.”
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January 09, 2020 at 10:07PM
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NASA reveals sheer devastation of planet collision - and it could explain how Moon formed - Express.co.uk
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