Could Trojan Asteroids Have Caused Earth's Collision with the Moon?

[GoodUniverse]

I ran across the idea of ‘Trojan asteroids’ and ‘Lagrangian Points’ when googling info on our asteroid belt. This phenomenon was new to me but then again I know very little about astronomy. Anyway, it had me wonder about a recent thread on the formation of our moon and how unlikely it would have been for Earth to smash into another large object along its orbit.

My question is; could our early Earth have shared an orbit with a Trojan planetoid whose Lagrangian position was disrupted enough to send it on a collision course with eath?

CJ

 

[chemisttree]

Search term = Theia

Answer = yes

 

[chemisttree]

The Giant Impact Hypothesis has this as one of the ways a large object could strike the Earth and form the Moon. A large object residing at either lagrangian L4 or L5 could be slightly perterbed in its orbit and either slow down or speed up relative to the earth. Most of the orbital elements would remain very close to those of the Earth but the relative velocities would be such that this large body (Theia) would either slow down and strike protoearth or speed up and eventually overtake it.

It seems to me that this scenario is much more likely than to have a planetesimal come in from a very different orbit or an oblique one and strike protoearth.

 

[GoodUniverse]

Thanks for the Reply Chemisttree.
Incidentally I am researching some information on Uranus for an artwork project and ran across the idea than Urnaus hasn't always been in the orbit it is now. I think it was mentioned that it had moved from the inner solar system outwards... makes me wonder if this migration might be the cause of many things in our solar system.

 

[pmacias]

, thank you for your question. The idea of Trojan asteroids and Lagrangian points is a fascinating concept in astronomy, and it is certainly worth exploring in relation to the formation of our moon. However, there is currently no evidence to suggest that a Trojan asteroid or planetoid played a role in the collision between Earth and the moon.

The leading theory for the formation of the moon is the giant impact hypothesis, which suggests that a Mars-sized object collided with Earth approximately 4.5 billion years ago, ejecting debris that eventually formed into our moon. This theory is supported by numerous lines of evidence, including the composition and isotopic ratios of moon rocks, which closely match those of Earth's mantle.

While it is possible for a Trojan asteroid or planetoid to have disrupted its Lagrangian position and collided with Earth, there is no evidence to suggest that such an event occurred. In fact, the likelihood of a Trojan object sharing Earth's orbit and then being disrupted enough to collide with our planet is extremely low.

Furthermore, the Trojan asteroids in our solar system are relatively small and do not have enough mass to cause a significant disruption to Earth's orbit. This means that even if a Trojan asteroid were to collide with Earth, it would not have a significant impact on our planet's orbit or the formation of the moon.

In conclusion, while the concept of Trojan asteroids and Lagrangian points is intriguing, there is no evidence to suggest that they played a role in the formation of our moon. The giant impact hypothesis remains the most widely accepted explanation for the moon's origin, and further research and evidence are needed to support any alternative theories.