The moon might actually be much younger than we originally thought.
A popular theory on how the moon was formed says that a giant unknown planet crashed into Earth around 4.56 billion years ago, causing debris. A recent analysis suggested the formation most likely happened between 4.4 billion and 4.45 billion years ago, Space.com reported.
If these conclusions are true, it would mean the moon is actually 100 million years younger than we previously thought it was.
"There are several important implications of this late moon formation that have not yet been worked out," Richard Carlson, of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C., said, Space.com reported.
"For example, if the Earth was already differentiated prior to the giant impact, would the impact have blown off the primordial atmosphere that formed from this earlier epoch of Earth history?" he said.
Researchers have been trying to do a deep analysis of lunar "crusty rock" for years, but technical limitations have always held them back, the International Business Times reported.
New technology has finally allowed the scientists to date the rocks with more precision than would have been possible in the past.
The findings will be presented under the title "Origins of the Moon" at a Royal Society meeting in London.
"Despite widespread acceptance of the giant impact hypothesis for lunar origin, our understanding continues to be challenged by remarkable new geochemical data, improved simulations and theory, and spacecraft exploration. This will be a timely consideration of our current understanding, how this relates to our Earth and planetary systems and an opportunity to identify the directions of future research," the Royal Society stated in the event details.
The solar system is believed to be 4.568 billion years old. Researchers are usually able to place the formation of small celestial bodies, like asteroids somewhere along that timeline by looking at when "extensive melting occurred," Space.com reported.
For example: meteorites that came from the asteroid called Vesta were determined to be 4.565 billion years old.
"Ask the same question of the Earth or moon, and you don't get a very precise answer," Carlson said. "Earth likely took longer to grow to full size compared to a small asteroid like Vesta, and every step in its growth tends to erase, or at least cloud, the memory of earlier events."
The moon is believed to have had a "global ocean of molten rock" shortly after it was formed, Space.com reported.
