The moon was part of the Earth: there is new evidence

A new analysis of six lunar meteorites found in Antarctica has yielded the first accurate

proof that the Moon inherited chemical elements from the Earth's interior.This discovery reinforces the theory that our planet's natural satellite was "born" when something massive slammed into Earth in the distant past.

Patricia Will has found traces of helium and neon — noble gases that rarely combine with other elements — in six lunar meteorites from NASA's Antarctic collection.

Meteorites are made up of volcanic rockcalled basalt, which was formed when magma flowed from the interior of the moon and cooled rapidly. As a result of cooling, particles of lunar glass were formed in the samples, which retained the chemical signs of gases. After the formation of basalt, additional layers of rock enveloped it, protecting the glass from charged particles, both from the constant flow of the solar wind and from cosmic rays. The insulation preserved this imprint and guaranteed the origin of the gases trapped inside, the researchers reason.

Scientists have been able to capture helium and neon fingerprints in meteorites thanks to a particularly sensitive noble gas mass spectrometer.

The find confirms the idea that the moonwas formed as a result of a giant impact, scientists say. According to one version of the giant impact theory, a protoplanet called Theia crashed into the Earth about 4.5 billion years ago, about 60 million years after the formation of the Earth itself.

The blow had to be really powerful in order to eject an eject from the bowels of the Earth, which could remain in orbit and merge into another body, and not fall back to the planet.