moon

[jvc]

Is it possible the moon is the core of a small star wich quick thawd the earth then died?

 

[Saiph]

Sorry, not even in my wildest imaginings.

A small star is larger than Jupiter (~20x), and lasts several hundred billion years.

A star that would have a short enough lifespan (less than a billion years) is much, much larger than the Sun (~20x)

So...no, no chance at all.

And thats before you throw in the fact that the moon is nearly earths twin composition wise (made out of the same materials, in the same proportions, with a few interesting exceptions).

And I can't think of a reason you'd need to "thaw" earth, as it actually starts quite hot (lots of active volcanoes, molten rock surface, etc) and has to cool for a long time before the crust is solid, let alone cold enough for water to condense and stay liquid.

 

[jvc]

Thanks for answering my star moon question. It must have sounded very nieve. Yes I am a novice. Now with your much detailed answer my question tells me I have much to learn. Somewhat like the learning to play the guitar for the first time. It seems quite intimmidating, but once you begin to better understand the mechanics of the instrument you are able to take alot of the wonder out of the equasion. Thus freeing up needed mental capassity to wonder about new hopefully more usefull unanswerd questions. Thanks.

 

[MeteorWayne]

jvc, Welcome to Space.com.
You'll learn a lot just be reading around here. There are a lot of very smart people, as well as a few jokers

Meteor Wayne

 

[Saiph]

No problem JVC, it's one of the reasons I've been posting here for years, to answer questions from new astronomy fans. Also, don't feel at all chagrined about asking a 'naive' question, as you did so with the intent to learn the full answer behind it.

That, and it was definitely an original question, so you get props for that too

 

[kelvinzero]

On a slightly related note,

Someone around here mentioned the possibility that Mercury was the core of what was once some sort of gas giant. Is there anything in that?

 

[crazyeddie]

On a slightly related note,

Someone around here mentioned the possibility that Mercury was the core of what was once some sort of gas giant. Is there anything in that?

Well, technically, ALL of the inner planets may have started with fairly thick, extensive atmospheres as the solar system accreted from the primordial nebula, which means they may have all resembled smallish gas giants. But when the sun ignited and sputtered to life, these thick atmospheres were driven off by the fierce solar wind as the sun progressed through it's "T-Tauri" stage.

But if you are asking if Mercury was once a gas giant that somehow migrated to it's current position, I don't see how that could be possible. Such a migration would have disrupted the orbits of Earth and the other inner planets, and there's no indication that the Earth's orbit has been anything but stable for many billions of years.

 

[jasonpply]

i heard the moon may even be a chunk of the earth broken off by a asteroid. posibly smashed outta the bottom of the ocean.

 

[MeteorWayne]

Not quite correct. Not a chunk from the ocean floor, rather the entire earth was smashed and remelted by the impact, and part of the molten material (from both the impactor and the earth) was thrown into space, forming a brief ring around the earth. That coalesced into the moon fairly quickly.

 

[yevaud]

Yes, and the density of the material the Moon is made of would suggest it is comprised of mostly crustal material spalled off of Earth during the impact (5.52 grams per cubic cm versus 3.34 grams per cubic cm).

 

[DrRocket]

Yes, and the density of the material the Moon is made of would suggest it is comprised of mostly crustal material spalled off of Earth during the impact (5.52 grams per cubic cm versus 3.34 grams per cubic cm).

Do you happen to know the specific gravity of green cheese ?