月球可能在巨大碰撞后数小时内完整形成

来自亚利桑那大学与西南研究所的研究人员通过新的计算机模拟发现，月球可能在约45亿年前地球与火星大小天体碰撞后仅数小时内就完整形成，而非从碎片盘逐渐聚合1。这项研究首次将地质强度纳入月球形成模型，新的模拟结果显示完整月球可在约5小时内形成1。

研究表明，温度和物质强度是决定月球是完整形成还是从碎片聚合的关键因素1。具体而言，较热的行星体机械强度较弱，这一特性对月球的形成方式产生了决定性影响1。该研究已发表在《天体物理学杂志快报》2026年第1008卷第1期1。

尽管这一新的形成机制能够解释月球的快速形成，但地球与月球的成分相似性仍未被现有模型完全解释1。

Scientists have discovered through new computer simulations that the Moon likely formed intact within just hours following a collision between the early Earth and a Mars-sized celestial body, rather than gradually assembling from a disk of debris 1. The research, conducted by teams at the University of Arizona and the Southwest Research Institute, marks the first time that geological strength has been incorporated into models of lunar formation, revealing that temperature and material strength are critical factors determining whether the Moon formed as a complete body or through gradual accretion 1.

The collision is believed to have occurred approximately 4.5 billion years ago 1. The new simulations indicate that an intact Moon could have formed in roughly five hours under the right conditions 1. A key finding is that temperature plays a decisive role in shaping the Moon's formation pathway—celestial bodies with higher temperatures possess weaker mechanical strength, which influences whether material coalesces rapidly into a unified body or remains dispersed 1. Despite these findings, the compositional similarity between Earth and the Moon remains incompletely explained by existing models 1. The research was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Volume 1008, Issue 1, in 2026 1.