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Earth and Moon born 62 million years after Solar System
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    • PARIS, Dec 19 (AFP) Dec 19, 2007
     Earth and the Moon were created around 62 million years after the Solar System began to form 4.567 billion years ago, according to a paper released on Wednesday by the British journal Nature.

    The assessment, which gives 62 million years as the best estimate in a range of 52 million to 152 million years, is based on measurements of tungsten isotopes in lunar metals.

    The prevailing theory about the origin of the Moon is that it was born after a Mars-sized object smashed into the proto-Earth, causing the ejection of a mass of molten debris that became enslaved to Earth's gravity.

    The study is led by scientists from the Confederate Technical High School in Zurich, Switzerland.




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