The moon spent a few million years as a volcanic wasteland, covered with ongoing eruptions that spewed from mountains and even from the ground itself. New research suggests that the moon’s orbit could have turned it into a molten monster for a few tens of millions of years. The result may have been comparable to Jupiter’s moon Io, the most volcanic body in the solar system.
Early in the history of the solar system, a massive protoplanet plowed into a young Earth. The colliding material intermixed, then reformed into two separate bodies that would become Earth and the moon. The two orbited almost on top of one another, but over time, the moon slowly drifted away, solidifying as it went.
Eventually, the sun’s gravity exerted a stronger pull on the moon. Although it was farther away than the sun, the two bodies tugged on the moon equally.
“Writer Fuel” is a series of cool real-world stories that might inspire your little writer heart. Check out our Writer Fuel page on the LimFic blog for more inspiration.
