[removed]
Comments
stanerd OP t1_jbw7k4j wrote
What happened to the planet that slammed into Earth? I assume the Moon formed from the debris from that collision.
[deleted] t1_jbw910p wrote
This cool NASA animation shows the most recent idea of how it happened. https://youtu.be/kRlhlCWplqk
the_fungible_man t1_jbw8pt7 wrote
Most of the impactor (estimated to have been approximately the size of Mars) was incorporated into the Earth, while debris from the collision, partly from the Earth and partly from the impactor, coalesced to form the Moon.
ZalmoxisRemembers t1_jbwids2 wrote
Check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_low-shear-velocity_provinces and this video about them: https://youtu.be/X-EZjEJc8Bo
The theory is that these large objects we see in the mantle are remnants of Theia (the planet that crashed into Earth).
Hattix t1_jbwmxwi wrote
You wouldn't need an interstellar object, there are plenty of local objects which can impact Earth too.
Interstellar objects, however, travel faster due to their hyperbolic excess and so would be more difficult to detect.
It would be possible to stop it if it is detected very early and we have a deflector mission ready on the launchpad, the idea behind asteroid deflection is you have a precise orbit for them and impact them early enough such that the small change in trajectory you make is enough to make it miss Earth completely.
In practise, this is probably not feasible.
space-ModTeam t1_jbwu3ap wrote
Hello u/stanerd, your submission "What if an interstellar object like Oumuamua crashes into Earth?" has been removed from r/space because:
- Such questions should be asked in the "All space questions" thread stickied at the top of the sub.
Please read the rules in the sidebar and check r/space for duplicate submissions before posting. If you have any questions about this removal please message the r/space moderators. Thank you.
bengosu t1_jbw6mv8 wrote
Humans aren't advanced enough as a species to stop something like that
[deleted] t1_jbwa6q9 wrote
[removed]
ASearchingLibrarian t1_jbwf1jd wrote
So the meteor known as CNEOS 2014–01–08 is believed to be interstellar. It wasn't detected before entering the atmosphere, but was tracked as it did --
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNEOS_2014-01-08
The Galileo Project at Harvard Uni has received funding for an expedition to recover CNEOS 2014–01–08 --
https://avi-loeb.medium.com/message-in-an-interstellar-bottle-c393ea526e9f
Prof Avi Loeb talking about it to NZ TV --
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbt9n76VqRo
tiregroove t1_jbwbeex wrote
Do you see the Gulf Of Mexico? Like that. Google 'Chicxulub crater.'
the_fungible_man t1_jbw6or7 wrote
>wasn't the Moon formed by a huge asteroid slamming into Earth
The moon was formed by a planet slamming into the Earth. There are no longer any rogue planets waiting to smack into the Earth.
Whether a smaller interstellar object would be detected before impact depends on its size and direction of approach. Such objects travel faster relative to the Earth than local asteroids, shortening to lead time between detection and impact. In the unlikely event the object approached from the sunward direction we might never see it coming.
BTW, the Earth has been struck by meteoroids of interstellar origin as recently as 2014. Our atmosphere affords us a great deal of protection from most of what's out there, interstellar or not.
>How could we stop it though?
For the foreseeable future, we couldn't.