Giant impact hypothesis

High school (ages 12+)
Space & Astronomy

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/giant-impact-hypothesis

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is Giant impact hypothesis?Theia, a protoplanet approximately the size of Mars
2. What is the estimated impact time?Around 4.5 billion years ago, during the Hadean Eon
3. What is the key scientific tool?Three-dimensional hydrodynamic computer simulations of impact events
4. Why does the Moon have a small iron core?Because it was made mostly from the outer layers of Earth and the impactor, which contain less iron, so the core that formed is much smaller than Earth's.
5. How did the Moon form from the debris after the collision?The rock and metal thrown into space spun around Earth, stuck together, and slowly grew into a big ball that became the Moon.

Protoplanet: An early stage of planet formation, a body that grows by accreting dust and gas.
Isotopic Composition: The relative abundance of different isotopes of an element, serving as a chemical fingerprint.
Accretion: The process of growth by gradual accumulation of matter, often through collisions.
Differentiation: The process by which a planet or moon separates into layers based on density (e.g., core, mantle, crust).