protoplanet-sized asteroids. tagged posts

Asteroid that formed Moon’s Imbrium Basin may have been Protoplanet-sized

Grooves and gashes associated with the Imbrium Basin on the moon have long been puzzling. New research shows how some of these features were formed and uses them to estimate the size of the Imbrium impactor. The study suggests it was big enough to be considered a protoplanet. Credit: NASA/Northeast Planetary Data Center/Brown University

Grooves and gashes associated with the Imbrium Basin on the moon have long been puzzling. New research shows how some of these features were formed and uses them to estimate the size of the Imbrium impactor. The study suggests it was big enough to be considered a protoplanet. Credit: NASA/Northeast Planetary Data Center/Brown University

The asteroid that slammed into the moon 3.8 billion years ago creating the Imbrium Basin may have had a diameter of at least 150 miles, according to a new estimate. The work helps explain puzzling geological features on the moon’s near side, and has implications for understanding the evolution of the early solar system. This new size estimate suggests the impactor was 2X larger in diameter and 10X more massive than previous estimates.

Previous estimates, Sc...

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