The moon may be younger than we thought

[ashling]

The mysteries of the moon's origins just got stranger, with a new study suggesting that the moon is either younger than thought or has evolved much differently over time.
Currently, scientists estimate that the moon formed about 4.5 billion years ago in the aftermath of a titanic clash between a Mars-size object and Earth. Many researchers have suggested the newborn moon's molten crust solidified after just tens of thousands to a few million years, but not everyone believes it cooled that rapidly.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44179023/ns/technology_and_science-space/

[demosincebirth]

1. It's beyond my thought process. nt

[laconicsax]

2. The alternate estimate is only 140 million years younger.

I guess "The Moon may be 3% younger than previously thought" isn't a catchy enough.

[david_vincent]

3. Little story about your Adams quote

I once got in a "debate" with a store clerk who, it became instantly clear, was a theocrat. I quoted this to her -- although I don't think she had any idea who John Adams was -- and another customer who was standing nearby interrupted in order to apologize to her that she should have had to hear such a foul thing !!!! True story, and it happened right here in "liberal" Vermont.

[MannyGoldstein]

4. My understanding is that scientists are back to square one on During the term of the Agreement Contr

the Moon's origin, since they recently found a lot of water on the moon that should not be there based on current hypotheses.

[dtexdem]

5. Well, the Moon is certainly immature:

constantly mooning us like it does. ;-)

[Ter]

6. It's all speculation as to where it came from

They certainly don't know for sure it came out of a crash with a Mars-sized planet. I would love to know, but it's all guess work. Maybe they formed together.