|
Posted by K. M. Kirby, esq. on February 23, 2007, 4:53 pm
Please log in for more thread options
The theory here is that the lunar formational collision happened
before any significant solar radiation was taking place.
This idea of a pre-solar moon was posited to determine whether our
moon may once have had a carbon dioxide atmosphere. A cooling lunar
blob might have given off a lot of gas, later to be removed by solar
radiation.
By comparing the overall internal heat of two Earthlike planets -- one
with a major collision in its past, and one (like Venus) without --
some insight into carbon dioxide levels, in their respective
atmospheres, might thereby be achieved.
kirankrishnam@gmail.com wrote:
> Referring to the recent discussion of the possibility that the Earth/
> Moon pair had been the result of a collision between a Mars-sized
> protoplanet and a Venus-sized one, I wonder if one of the results of
> this impact was - in addition to cooling for the main mass - the
> adding of a large amount of water ice, similar to what Mars may have
> had at one time. A mostly molten Venus, meeting with an ice-coated
> Mars, could perhaps nearly always lead to a much cooler main planet
> with a moon consisting of magmatic spew. However, the whole event may
> have required a much more dusty disc, although it could have been well
> after solar ignition. Know of any similar theories out there?
| 
XML Sitemap