The moon was not the only satellite of the Earth - a group of European and Israeli astronomers came to this conclusion. Numerous small satellites arose during the formation of our planet, but turned out to be very short-lived, according to the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
According to the generally accepted theory, the Moon arose after the collision of the Earth with an unknown protoplanet, code-named Thea.
Scientists have suggested that such cosmic catastrophes have occurred more than once, which means that a lot of "protosatellites" ended up in near-earth orbit. Researchers have modeled their formation process and gravitational interaction with the Earth and with each other.
Calculations showed that small bodies merged into larger objects. After that, they were either thrown out of orbit, or fell to the surface of the Earth.
"Moonfalls", according to astronomers, influenced both the geology of the Earth and the speed of rotation of the planet. They happened about four billion years ago, but traces can still be found in the depths of the earth's crust - for example, small differences in isotope abundances.
Previously, scientists have modeled the possible consequences of the collision of the Moon with the Earth and came to the conclusion that both celestial bodies will turn into a mass of molten magma. This could happen in 65 billion years.
