How quickly might recent simulations suggest the Moon accreted from the orbiting debris ring?
Answer
In a matter of hours or days
The timeline for the Moon's formation following the catastrophic impact has been dramatically revised based on newer computer simulations. While earlier scientific proposals estimated that the debris ring—composed of vaporized rock and molten material ejected into orbit around Earth—would take centuries or millennia to accrete into a stable satellite, recent modeling suggests a much more rapid genesis. These newer analyses indicate that the accretion process, where particles clumped together, could have occurred exceptionally fast, potentially forming the Moon in a timeframe measured in mere hours or days.
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