I am highly interested in how the moon originated. Theories suggest that the moon is a chunk of the earth, or rather, both were at one point one celestial body. Is there any literature out there with regard to this topic? I mean papers and simulation applets and algorithms.
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
Add a comment
|
1 Answer
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
7
I'd recommend taking a look at this review paper. The author is well known for doing SPH simulations of lunar formation models, so it should provide a good starting point.
On a side note, the most popular moon formation theory is probably the giant impact hypothesis which suggests that the moon formed after a large body collided with the proto-earth.
However, you should be aware that there are severe problems with this model as it cannot properly explain the moon composition and/or the the angular momentum in the earth-moon system.
This paper gives a rather critical (and technical) discussion of the giant impact model and might also provide an interesting read.
-
$\begingroup$ Can the codes of the simulations performed in the review paper be found online? Or does anyone have it? $\endgroup$ Jan 18, 2014 at 17:24
-
1$\begingroup$ @Artemisia - I don't know. It is not common practice to make such codes openly available, so odds are against it. $\endgroup$ Jan 18, 2014 at 19:05
-
$\begingroup$ Oh... but how must I begin the code? Is there any reference out there that I can use to build code exactly like the simulation? $\endgroup$ Jan 19, 2014 at 1:28
-
1
-
1$\begingroup$ @Artemisia - These types of code are difficult to set up and can take months to years of research to design and test. Frankly this is well beyond my expertise. I'd suggest posting a new question specifically on how to set up a physically accurate SPH simulation, or contact someone that does this type of work. $\endgroup$ Jan 19, 2014 at 19:01