The NEW SCIENCE of Moon Formation

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  • čas přidán 10. 01. 2023
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    Einstein once asked whether “the moon exists only when I look at it?". It was rhetorical objection to the idea that measurement in quantum mechanics causes reality to become real. But there was a time when the moon didn’t exist, and then hours later suddenly did. At least, according to the latest simulations of its formation.
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Komentáře • 1,9K

  • @Skip6235
    @Skip6235 Před rokem +1508

    I’m just trying to wrap my head around a column of molten rock several hundred thousand miles high raining down onto the surface of the planet in less than 24 hours. The sheer violence of such a thing is unimaginable.

    • @krabkit
      @krabkit Před rokem +256

      noticeably less violent than the preceding impact

    • @saturnexplorers
      @saturnexplorers Před rokem +91

      Welcome to the universe

    • @bottlekruiser
      @bottlekruiser Před rokem +104

      smart people: violence is not a solution
      also smart people when asked how the moon came to be:

    • @JoshWiniberg
      @JoshWiniberg Před rokem +61

      It's mind-blowing isn't it? And that's tame compared to many cosmological events.

    • @tinygriffy
      @tinygriffy Před rokem +11

      I find that's peanuts compared to the next best Quasar out there..

  • @billbill6094
    @billbill6094 Před rokem +431

    This is by far the easiest to understand SpaceTime episode and most awesome topic yet. Imagine going back just shy of 54 years ago and telling someone not only are the moon and the Earth formed from the same two planets in the same orbit colliding, but in just _a single day_ there might have been _two_ moons, one even bigger. Absolutely mind blowing.

    • @chriskennedy2846
      @chriskennedy2846 Před rokem +12

      I agree, great topic. It goes to show there is plenty of fascinating science within our field of view that allows us to keep learning while being intrigued by the remaining mysteries yet to be solved.
      By contrast, we certainly don't need any more: black hole, worm hole, dark matter or dark energy videos for awhile.
      Great job. More science - please.

    • @tehpw7574
      @tehpw7574 Před rokem

      ...and yet, there are idiots who publicly claim 'Teh World is flat'. :/ This theory, in how the moon was formed should be embraced at defacto-fact: Nothing else seems as accurate when it's visualized like it is in this video. Also, who is to say that electro-magnetism has much to say in the formation? Isn't that a after effect, not a cause (like gravity)? [Disclaimer, I'm a Gen-X Veteran Mechanic, not a scientist. WTF do I know about SCIENCE!?]

    • @zes7215
      @zes7215 Před rokem

      wrrg

    • @Rydonittelo
      @Rydonittelo Před rokem +19

      It's so sad that 30% of adults in the UK couldn't answer the question
      " What is bigger, the sun or the moon?"
      If you find this shocking as I did, ask people and you'll be astonished that some grown adults don't know the answer to this less than basic general knowledge question.
      Its mind blowing

    • @Rydonittelo
      @Rydonittelo Před rokem +1

      @Repent and believe in Jesus Christ
      The creature could not bear the wrong done to its creator, therefore the sun withdrew its rays so it would not behold the deeds of the wicked.
      Crystophusis
      ☀️🌤⛅🌥☁️🌫✝️

  • @TheoriesofEverything
    @TheoriesofEverything Před rokem +16

    Thanks Matt. It was an honor. Looking forward to speaking again.

  • @harbirsingh7266
    @harbirsingh7266 Před rokem +46

    18:00 "Some animals do have hands large enough to swim in a gas. They're called birds."
    This just blew my mind. How did I never think of that? Haha.

    • @joansparky4439
      @joansparky4439 Před rokem +16

      here is another one for you - we are living at the bottom of a gas ocean.

    • @bazpearce9993
      @bazpearce9993 Před rokem +12

      @@joansparky4439 We are Crab people lol.

    • @DriantX
      @DriantX Před rokem +7

      @@joansparky4439 And a gas ocean is living at the bottom of me.
      sorry

    • @markzambelli
      @markzambelli Před rokem +7

      And Penguins 'fly' through water

    • @twistedtachyon5877
      @twistedtachyon5877 Před rokem +2

      No respect for bats smh

  • @firebladetenn6633
    @firebladetenn6633 Před rokem +181

    It's always a good day when Spacetime uploads.

  • @MofoMan2000
    @MofoMan2000 Před rokem +388

    One correction: Neptune's moon is Triton. Titan is one of Saturn's moons.

    • @the_dark_one6052
      @the_dark_one6052 Před rokem +20

      Beat me to it

    • @LuisAldamiz
      @LuisAldamiz Před rokem +80

      It was not probably an actual error but rather his Australian accent.

    • @donlevoneshabanov4437
      @donlevoneshabanov4437 Před rokem +48

      The subtitles say Triton but I don't hear the "r"

    • @LuisAldamiz
      @LuisAldamiz Před rokem +31

      @@donlevoneshabanov4437 - It's Australian accent but BBC accent also lacks rhotics, it's a common (and confusing) feature in English language.

    • @orsonzedd
      @orsonzedd Před rokem

      Same thing

  • @jacobthompson6592
    @jacobthompson6592 Před rokem +66

    I was surprised you mentioned the lunar seismometers. My grandfather helped build the radioisotope heater units for the seismometers that were installed during the Apollo 11 mission.

    • @BaloneySansWits
      @BaloneySansWits Před rokem +6

      I worked at Marquardt, the company that made the R4d thrusters that one can see in fours on the sides of the Service and Lunar Excursion Modules

    • @itzelpretzel
      @itzelpretzel Před rokem +8

      Your grandfathers fingerprints (metaphorically, im sure it was all sterilized) were on the moon. Wow! Thats a beautiful legacy.

    • @calebdunlap7566
      @calebdunlap7566 Před rokem +2

      My fiancées great grandfather helped make the first US space boot

  • @nellym46664
    @nellym46664 Před rokem +57

    It's crazy how such a random event possibly turned what may have remained a barren rock in space into the only known sanctuary for complex life in this universe. Pouring one out for Theia tonight.🙇‍♂

    • @garmtpug
      @garmtpug Před rokem +11

      I wouldn't assume we are the only place where complex life exists. There are many possibilities for life that don't necessarily have to be Earth-like. I'm a firm believer that life can arise in numerous conditions, as we have even seen on our planet. Various forms of life on Earth have been found in the most inhospitable places that we once assumed could not develop nor harbor any type of life forms. But life has been found in them! It does find a way! So, looking at that, it's easy to picture life forming in all kinds of planetary conditions throughout the Universe.

    • @colterhikel9819
      @colterhikel9819 Před rokem +9

      Is life very robust and able to form in lots of adverse conditions, or is life fragile but able to adapt to harsh conditions after getting a foothold?

    • @flintdavis2
      @flintdavis2 Před rokem +1

      Or the process wasn’t “random “ but by design. Elementary my dear.

    • @99names16
      @99names16 Před rokem +1

      Life is not robust. And it is not a force- it does not *have* to exist.
      I think we are far more lucky/special than we realize.

    • @garmtpug
      @garmtpug Před rokem

      @@99names16 Explain

  • @realzachfluke1
    @realzachfluke1 Před rokem +241

    This is my favorite episode to date. Beautifully done, Space Time team.

  • @TheScrubExpress
    @TheScrubExpress Před rokem +161

    Wild to think about such a big thing happening in...less than two days. In a universe where things usually happen over many thousands or millions of years, that's lightning quick.

    • @edwardlazell3157
      @edwardlazell3157 Před rokem +18

      There's an XKCD cartoon about how weird it is when something in astronomy occurs on a human scale, rather than being enormous/tiny or happening instantaneously/over billennia.

    • @theexchipmunk
      @theexchipmunk Před rokem +1

      @@edwardlazell3157 Do you have a link?

    • @pizzainc.1465
      @pizzainc.1465 Před rokem +2

      Billennia is a cool word, but it’s actually gigannum (or giga year). The real structure of million is
      milli- -on,
      not
      Mil- -lion.
      This is a common misconception, and it is ok in English (it’s already deformed), but not in Latin. Latin already has a structure, so you can’t make up words based on how you think they are assembled. The real word is:
      gig{a}- -{a}nn- -[suffix]
      Or gigannum

    • @pizzainc.1465
      @pizzainc.1465 Před rokem +1

      -MWAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHA-
      **silence**

    • @thezipcreator
      @thezipcreator Před rokem +1

      @@theexchipmunk it's xkcd #2707

  • @subhanusaxena7199
    @subhanusaxena7199 Před rokem +25

    I hadn’t realised until I saw these videos that I should have played more attention to my fluid dynamics classes at college, as it seems central to many cosmological phenomena. Then I heard Leonard Susskind suggest that gravity is the hydrodynamics of entanglement, which blew my mind. Can we have a video on this please as I am really trying to get my head around what he meant. Thank you for these great videos

  • @brandtreppond2167
    @brandtreppond2167 Před rokem +45

    That protoplanet soaring towards us was probably one of the scariest images I'll ever see

    • @passintogracegoldenyearnin6310
      @passintogracegoldenyearnin6310 Před rokem +3

      It's a great time for you to watch Moonfall then.

    • @N.M.E.
      @N.M.E. Před rokem +6

      I shall suggest the Lars von Trier movie "Melancholia" (2011) with Kirsten Dunst then. (Although the visuals of the Planet are surely not the main thing this movie offers)

    • @theexchipmunk
      @theexchipmunk Před rokem

      @@N.M.E. Seconded. Good movie that one.

    • @Simp_Zone
      @Simp_Zone Před rokem

      @@passintogracegoldenyearnin6310 You mean that steaming pile of garbage? No thanks.

  • @spectator5709
    @spectator5709 Před rokem +368

    Could we take a moment and appreciate whoever makes the graphics for SpaceTime? You're a hero! 🙂 Thanks for all the good stuff! 💫📈🚀

    • @ryanswanson126
      @ryanswanson126 Před rokem +22

      That clip of Theia getting larger and larger just before impact was terrifying. Kudos to the cgi folks for sure.

    • @jus_sanguinis
      @jus_sanguinis Před rokem +1

      +1

    • @dv2915
      @dv2915 Před rokem +17

      The clumsy animation that appears at 11:06 was actually made by me, like, 20 years ago. I can't even remember what software (or hardware) I used to create it. Perhaps, a ZX Spectrum?

    • @freddan6fly
      @freddan6fly Před rokem +8

      @@dv2915 For being 20 years back you did an excellent job with the limited resources of the time.

    • @vblaas246
      @vblaas246 Před rokem +1

      Andrew Kornhaber is your principal hero.

  • @xovvo3950
    @xovvo3950 Před rokem +139

    18:06 Bats. You're thinking of bats. Bat wings are formed from membranous extensions from palm to fingertip between digits two through five. Bird hands are actually very small and have completely fused together into a structure called the carpometaparpus, tipped by greatly reduced digits II and III (digit I bearing the alula, anterior to the rest of the carpometacarpus). Birds just have very long feathers to form their flight surface!

    • @anarchyantz1564
      @anarchyantz1564 Před rokem +6

      Additionally Pterosaurs as well.

    • @XKloosyvv
      @XKloosyvv Před rokem +6

      Birds still "swim" though the air around us. Yes, bats do as well but Matt didn't say it was only birds. There's plenty of organisms capable of flight on earth.

    • @Ezullof
      @Ezullof Před rokem +10

      @@XKloosyvv Birds don't swim with their *hands* though, they use modified arms (with feathers). Which is the point that Xovvo is making.
      Similarly, flying insects also swim in the air, but not with hands.

    • @XKloosyvv
      @XKloosyvv Před rokem +3

      @@Ezullof quoting them....
      "Bird hands are actually very small and have completely fused..."
      Birds have hands, but evolution has changed them dramatically. They still "swim" in the same concept as bats and insects.

    • @JillianJolley
      @JillianJolley Před rokem

      Yes!!! I f***ing love people, like you @xovvo3950

  • @flaviusclaudius7510
    @flaviusclaudius7510 Před rokem +26

    I love these n-body particle simulations. Best part of undergrad astro was getting to watch so many of them!

  • @Ricalloo
    @Ricalloo Před rokem +67

    I'd love to see a collision simulation in real time, that is at the speed it actually happened. I assume the ones we saw in this video were sped up by a lot.

    • @N.M.E.
      @N.M.E. Před rokem +7

      yeah. You can assume the rotation speed of the earth after the collision should be close to 24h

    • @genkibob
      @genkibob Před rokem +10

      If you have 2 or 3 days to sit and watch the video, sure.

    • @doctorbeet3339
      @doctorbeet3339 Před rokem +5

      @@N.M.E. Unfortunately not. With the presence of a water ocean, the tidal bulges which are displaced in the direction of Earth's rotation transfer angular momentum from the Earth to moon, increasing the diameter of it's orbit and slowing the Earth down in the process.
      See Tidal Acceleration on Wiki: "This geological record is consistent with these conditions 620 million years ago: the day was 21.9±0.4 hours"

    • @Shadowkey392
      @Shadowkey392 Před rokem +2

      @@N.M.E. it would actually have been much faster.

    • @N.M.E.
      @N.M.E. Před rokem +1

      @@doctorbeet3339 Interesting! Thanks for the correction. I guessed it would've been somewhat faster, but didn't know to what extent. Still somewhat in the ballpark though.

  • @CaptainCuttlefish74
    @CaptainCuttlefish74 Před rokem +64

    I sent this to my grandmother
    I expect some of the more technical stuff will go over her head
    but she's expressed interest in stuff like this, and I figure this is one of the few Space Time videos she would have a good chance of understanding

    • @Lupita311
      @Lupita311 Před rokem

      She won't understand it because she is a woman, or simply because she is a grandma, that the topic is too technical or is it that her small little brain can't understand the science but she'll be amused by the colorful pictures. Maybe it is me who doesn't get the joke in my tiny little brain.

    • @CaptainCuttlefish74
      @CaptainCuttlefish74 Před rokem +10

      @@Lupita311 woah
      What is wrong with ypu

    • @matteosposato9448
      @matteosposato9448 Před rokem

      @@Lupita311 wait wut?

    • @The1oldfox
      @The1oldfox Před rokem +3

      @@Lupita311 easy girl

    • @william41017
      @william41017 Před rokem

      So, what did your grandma say?

  • @rlosable
    @rlosable Před rokem +135

    I've been wondering for a while: does the Thea event explain also why Earth has such a strong magnetic field (due to the larger iron core and additional energy/momentum imparted) and at least be part of the reason why Earth has such active plate tectonics?
    It would also mean a single explanation for many of the differences between Earth and its neighbors.
    If so, this single event would have played a huge role in creating the conditions for life to develop. And dialing "rare earth" up to 11 as a solution to the Fermi Paradox.

    • @shoego
      @shoego Před rokem +27

      Earth would probably be a dry dead rock without this impact. Possibly, most of our mantle would have cooled by now.

    • @gobblinal
      @gobblinal Před rokem +14

      I still posit that there's enough out there that we are not alone, but maybe we're reaching the limit of only one intelligent species per galaxy (or two if we're REALLY lucky, or more if galaxies collide?), so it just _feels_ really lonely.

    • @matt2027
      @matt2027 Před rokem +22

      Are Thea events actually rare? Do we really know enough about solar system formation to say for sure one way or the other?

    • @gobblinal
      @gobblinal Před rokem +12

      @@matt2027 At this moment, we do not. But, maybe with some of this hi-res modelling we might be able to get some idea of what it would take to happen. But seeing it "for real"? I have _no_ idea when that'll ever happen.

    • @dankuchar6821
      @dankuchar6821 Před rokem +3

      Very possibly, yes!

  • @ericstromquist9458
    @ericstromquist9458 Před rokem +7

    I’ve always loved your show (having been a physics major long ago) but this episode is among the best. I’ve certainly heard of Theia and the collision hypothesis but your episode 1) systematically goes through the evidence to select the best scenario, and before watching I wasn’t aware that accretion at different radii from the sun had distinct isotopic signatures; and 2) highlights new research, showing the reference so you can go and download the paper to read. Absolutely excellent!

  • @nachoijp
    @nachoijp Před rokem +9

    I never knew that two proto planets could form in the same orbit... I always thought that we were weirdly lucky to have a planet just hit earth, but this makes it a lot more credible

  • @ChefSalad
    @ChefSalad Před rokem +105

    There is an intermediate between solids and liquids, for some materials, specifically binary alloys. Sort of. For binary alloys, there are two temperatures involved in melting: the liquidus point, the temperature above which the material is fully molten, and the solidus point, the temperature below which the material is completely solid. For eutectic binary alloys, those temperatures are the same, but for non-eutectic alloys, the temperatures are different. Eutectic means that the melting point is as low as is goes and occurs when the solidus and liquidus temperatures are equal. (When you mix two materials together, the mixture will have a lower melting point than either component by themselves. At a certain ratio (the eutectic ratio), you get a minimum melting point.) The state between the solidus and liquidus temperatures (sometimes called the solidus phase) is a mixture of solid crystals suspended in liquid metal. It behaves kind of like a gel. It'll flow a bit, but also retain its basic shape. This is very important in soldering since, when using non-eutectic solders, moving the joint during the solidus phase will result in bad solder joints, since parts the workpiece can move without the solder flowing back in behind it. The effect is similar to a dry solder joint, but not quite the same and a bit harder to detect. This is why (near) eutectic solders are often preferred during hand-soldering. Eutectic solders go straight from liquid to solid as they cool, without any time between to harden.

    • @AnderGdeT
      @AnderGdeT Před rokem +8

      Amorphous polymers would also fit that criteria? They are solids with fixed forms, but can flow at higher temperatures while maintaing solid properties, don't really have a melting point but a "Glass Transition" point...

    • @ChefSalad
      @ChefSalad Před rokem +6

      @@AnderGdeT not really the same thing. Similar though. With amorphous solids, the transition from liquid to solid is at a specific temperature, it's just that close to but below that temperature, the amorphous thing will be very, very flexible. This seems like flowing, but it's not really. With glass, you can get it really bendy, but to get two pieces to join, you need to get the joint just a bit hotter for the pieces to melt together. Even though they're soft, they won't flow together unless they're actually liquid at the joint. Or at least that's my understanding.

    • @MrClickity
      @MrClickity Před rokem +5

      TIL that Solidus Snake from Metal Gear Solid 2 got his name from an actual term and not just a word that Kojima made up because he thought it sounded cool.

    • @rosemarymuthoni5853
      @rosemarymuthoni5853 Před rokem +1

      @@AnderGdeT how about non-Newtonian fluids?

    • @dracoargentum9783
      @dracoargentum9783 Před rokem +1

      As a quick follow-up question for soldering [new solderer here], if you NEED to move a non-eutectic solder, I take it you should heat the bend back up before bending?

  • @wrylycoyote6940
    @wrylycoyote6940 Před rokem +5

    I finally have caught up on binge watching 7 years worth of PBS Spacetime, and can finally comment on a video. My brain feels heavy like a waterlogged sack of dirty laundry. I feel like I made it to the finish line even though the line keeps moving forward every 2 weeks (making it harder to catch-up). Ok, I admit I skipped some of the videos on aliens, because it's never aliens.

  • @Kelly_Z
    @Kelly_Z Před rokem +9

    Thank you so much for the captions in your videos! Yall cover such complicated topics that it's very useful to me to be able to listen and read what yall are saying so that I can absorb the information and keep following along, although usually by the skin of my teeth. Anyhow, thank you again, yall are awesome! I love learning about this kind of stuff

  • @octavianova1300
    @octavianova1300 Před rokem +19

    The possibility that the Gaia-Theia impact resulted in second, larger moon that then crashed back down into the earth definitely gets me thinking about the hypothesis that the LLSVPs are remnants of the giant impact. IDK how indicated such a connection is by this result, but on the surface at least it's an intriguing idea.

    • @nagualdesign
      @nagualdesign Před rokem +8

      Don't confuse the Gaia hypothesis with the giant-impact hypothesis. Theia impacted the _proto-Earth._ Gaia developed millions of years later after considerable cooling.

    • @ArawnOfAnnwn
      @ArawnOfAnnwn Před rokem +1

      LLSVP?...

    • @Neloish
      @Neloish Před rokem +1

      That is exactly what I was thinking, it could explain the gravitational anomalies.

    • @Neloish
      @Neloish Před rokem +4

      @@ArawnOfAnnwn Large low-shear-velocity provinces

    • @passintogracegoldenyearnin6310
      @passintogracegoldenyearnin6310 Před rokem +2

      Jupiter's Red Spot could be an impact site. Apparently some hundreds of years ago it wasn't there, and it is slowly getting smaller. The mix of elements dredged up from below are also different from the typical outer layers. It could be the case that our planets have not cleared their orbital paths as much as we'd hoped.

  • @Nobody-df4is
    @Nobody-df4is Před rokem +16

    The Moon is so weird, it played an integral part in the evolution of life.

  • @NoMusiciansInMusicAnymore

    I absolutely love the sense of humour in this series, it more than makes up for my inability to understand half of the subject matter

  • @dankuchar6821
    @dankuchar6821 Před rokem +13

    Thank you Matt and PBS FaceTime for all your hard work! It is appreciated. I wish this had been available when I was teaching physics.

  • @bertoray5497
    @bertoray5497 Před rokem +4

    Happy New Year Matt, and to all the fabulous crew at PBS Space Time. This content is actually consistent with what I envisioned the Internet tool would herald, lo, many moons ago.

  • @MCsCreations
    @MCsCreations Před rokem +9

    Fascinating indeed. Moon's fast delivery!

  • @HebaruSan
    @HebaruSan Před rokem +10

    7:23 - Triton, not Titan, right?

  • @ashleydaniel1446
    @ashleydaniel1446 Před rokem

    Happy new year Dr o'dowd , can't wait for the videos you bring us

  • @gobblinal
    @gobblinal Před rokem +14

    As someone else points out, this could potentially add a few more parameters to the Drake equation. Is this what's needed in order to make a large enough magnetic field to protect a planet enough that life even has a chance to form, let alone multi-cellular and eventually "intelligence"? We've proven that our solar system is not unusual in that most stars appear to have planets, so that part of the equation is now a lot closer to 1 that might've previously been thought. But there's also the question of if inner rocky planets REQUIRE outer gas giants to keep space "clear"? And now we need multiple planets in the SAME orbit to collide and make a strong enough magnetic field to further protect the planet from the sun? Not to mention a moon big enough to make tides. So far most solar systems have only had gas giants or LARGE rocky planets so it's hard to determine where the little inner rocky planets are, so it's a while yet before we'll be able to determine if there's any systems with 1-orbit-2-planet systems. Is that dependent on age? Does it only happen in the first 0.1 billion years? So finding such an example is going to be very tricky. However, if there's one thing I know about the universe, nothing is unique. If it's happened once, it most definitely can happen again, so there is still hope for an Earth-2 out there, somewhere, potentially a LOT further away than originally supposed.

    • @escapevelocity8092
      @escapevelocity8092 Před rokem

      Have you considered that earth may have been in another star system originally? There's quite a bit of information to support this idea

    • @gobblinal
      @gobblinal Před rokem +3

      @@escapevelocity8092 Well, it WAS another star system originally. That's why we've got carbon and iron and all the other must-have atoms. We are second (at least?) generation star that went KABLOOEY and then when it's nebula cooled, we got our star and system.
      But if you are trying to suggest that the earth was a rogue planet that crashed into Theia and then stayed in orbit, that's an interesting suggestion. I'd like to see the models on that.

    • @escapevelocity8092
      @escapevelocity8092 Před rokem

      @gobblinal OK nice bit of sense you're talking, I'm suggesting nothing more ridiculous than this.
      Now, rogue planet idea, getting close indeed. I want you to imagine a petri dish with a chemical in it, we then introduce another reactive agent while looking through the microscope into the dish. To our eye, we see molecules smashing against molecules, creating new formations, charges being exchanged, looks like organised chaos no doubt, eventually a new order results. We are even aware of a world even smaller which isn't visible but we can measure its effects, atoms kicking out protons and exchanging electrons, all obeying physics which produces orbits out of attraction and repulsion.
      Is it such a stretch to conceive that what appears to us as a gigantic, chaotic clattering of heavenly bodies, actually lives within the intent of another form of consciousness, and thus planets are terra formed for purposes beyond our comprehension. Why should we sit at the top of the dominance hierarchy? If the universe is infinite then why would the energy apex end? Just because a species can't comprehend the next rung up, most prey die not knowing what predated on them...

    • @escapevelocity8092
      @escapevelocity8092 Před rokem

      @gobblinal we needn't prostrate ourselves at the feet of a deity to appreciate that maybe we are not the only 'self aware' consciousness in existence. Aren't we ourselves trying to 'seed' other planets right now, because we may destroy our own in the future. Its not hard to imagine that we are the way the universe can observe itself, and the physical expression of reality is a challenge. A separation into duality, separation always brings pain, and pain always brings growth.

    • @milferdjones2573
      @milferdjones2573 Před rokem

      @@gobblinal Theia and Earth had to share the same building materials improbable for anything that originated outside of the Earth orbit.

  • @panagiotisantonakas9603
    @panagiotisantonakas9603 Před rokem +13

    Mat I am hydrodynamic engineer/ astronomy lover and your video just made me wonder if we can make not only a Sim but a real hydro experiment.

    • @ChemEDan
      @ChemEDan Před rokem +4

      Surface tension would probably be a big problem for experiments on a reasonable scale, same with trying to simulate self-gravitation. Maybe some sort of hybrid experiment could be developed e.g. many parallel hydro experiments used to simulate parts of the whole. Just need a mass-producible experimental apparatus that can generate the necessary Coriolis forces, and gravity could be approximated by earth's natural gravity and corrected for by scaling the resolution. So test volumes closer to proto earth would be physically smaller and visa versa, even though the apparatuses are all the same

    • @T3sl4
      @T3sl4 Před rokem

      ​@@ChemEDan It's interesting really, that gravity serves a very similar purpose as surface tension; the problem is, it's a much more diffuse force, whereas surface tension is, well, at the surface. Specifically, the internal pressure within a gravitationally bound body is proportional to depth, whereas with surface tension, the pressure is approximately equal, dropping suddenly to zero in the surface layer (which is probably a Debye scattering depth or something like that). So it's no accident that the simulation shows droplets, but the way they flow is very different.

  • @zacharywong483
    @zacharywong483 Před rokem +1

    Absolutely lovely video! Logical, understandable explanations paired with intriguing discussion! Great job, Space Time team!

  • @seb10wijngek
    @seb10wijngek Před rokem +2

    Best episode so far, in my opinion. Very cool simulations, clear and concise info. Lots of fun!

  • @FussyPickles
    @FussyPickles Před rokem +5

    I love how this channel goes from basic stuff like 'darker stuff' lighter stuff.. oxygen is for breathing etc. to here's a million things you will need a phd for, like ya know, supercritical gas boundry
    and obviously the transitional scale between the mediums is super simple to understand

  • @ChocoboProduction
    @ChocoboProduction Před rokem +8

    So, what I gathered from the explanation on whether or not it's possible to swim in superfluids: You'd need a creature that is basically gigantic and almost completely wings/fins. Soooooo... giant manta rays? Sounds cool to me :D

  • @boredgrass
    @boredgrass Před rokem +1

    A happy new year, and fair winds and following seas for your channel!

  • @devinfaux6987
    @devinfaux6987 Před rokem +12

    I like to think that the immediate aftermath of an impact like this is the only sort of situation you would find and environment similar to the asteroid fields depicted in popular sci-fi like Star Wars. It wouldn't last for that long, but for just a little while you could lead TIE Fighters on a merry chase through it.

    • @mutercim
      @mutercim Před rokem +1

      Not necessarily. You could lead your pursuers through something like Saturn's rings. Would be exactly the same, I imagine, as long as you stay in the thickest parts.

    • @N.M.E.
      @N.M.E. Před rokem +1

      @@mutercim nah, as far as i know, the majority of particles in Saturns rings are far far smaller than your "usual asteroids"! More akin to dust and pebbles (largest particles are a few meters across)... aint no fun in flying through that. Also the denser rings are only about 5 - 100 m (max.) thick.

  • @PeterGaunt
    @PeterGaunt Před rokem +3

    More of this kind of stuff from time to time Matt!

  • @brenorocha6687
    @brenorocha6687 Před rokem +4

    "[...] so, whatever."
    Seriously, seeing how you explain complex scientific concepts while using informal jargon and expressions is so pleasant. Specially because it doesn't feel forced or unnatural in any way.

    • @franck3279
      @franck3279 Před rokem +3

      He works as an university teacher to practice for those videos.

  • @alexandrel4569
    @alexandrel4569 Před rokem +1

    Really love this episode that isn't as complicated as most of the time but EXTREMELY interesting

  • @captainsarahbee
    @captainsarahbee Před rokem

    Great video to kick off the new year!

  • @8beef4u
    @8beef4u Před rokem +4

    There's also one proposed theory that explains the "smoothness" of the Earth-facing side of the moon. It proports that a large satellite the size of Ceres collided with the moon, causing debris to rain down on the opposite side, explaining the smoothness of one side of the moon and also the disparity in crust thickness between the two sides. The new impact scenario could also help explain differences in the isotopes of potassium, phosphorus and rare-earth elements like tungsten-182 measured on the surfaces of Earth and the moon.

  • @camicus-3249
    @camicus-3249 Před rokem +4

    You're telling me Rome wasn't built in a day, but the whole entire Moon was?

  • @TheIrf33
    @TheIrf33 Před rokem +1

    Glad to see you uploading again. this channel is awesome

  • @tracyh5751
    @tracyh5751 Před rokem +1

    17:57 jokes like these really deserve to be made into youtube shorts. That kind of humor would really stand out in the sea of youtube shorts and could draw more people to your channel who might not have considered it otherwise.

  • @cloudzero2049
    @cloudzero2049 Před rokem +3

    Universal Sandbox on Steam is a fun simulator were you can make solar systems and crash planets together. It's really detailed.

    • @MrDino1953
      @MrDino1953 Před rokem

      Thanks for posting this. It got me interested, so I bought the game a few minutes ago and I've already ruined the rings around Saturn 🤐.

  • @tavelaine2914
    @tavelaine2914 Před rokem +3

    I like this ep! I composited all the vfx shots on Our Universe's episode about this. Yes we had the same simulation 👍

  • @aalhard
    @aalhard Před rokem

    Hope your holiday was great. Thanks for coming back 😗

  • @Flugmorph
    @Flugmorph Před rokem +1

    i liked that hidden schroedingers cat joke at the end there

  • @Eris123451
    @Eris123451 Před rokem +3

    I've just finished reading Lee Smolin's book The Trouble with Physics which pretty much explains the real extent to which physics is currently at something of an impasse; no Supersymmetry, no SU5, no real clue about the nature Dark Energy or Dark Matter and of course the by now well known problems with String Theory but especially that it's not a complete or testable.
    It's an interesting and not over demanding book one which I'd highly recommend.

  • @theGoogol
    @theGoogol Před rokem +49

    "Reality is fake", said the photon.

    • @Bassotronics
      @Bassotronics Před rokem +4

      ‘Reality doesn’t exist” says the photon.

    • @osmosisjones4912
      @osmosisjones4912 Před rokem

      Color exist even if our brains don't pick them up

  • @kin0cho
    @kin0cho Před rokem

    Love this cross-genre episode, keep up the fantastic work 👏

  • @ravenwolf7128
    @ravenwolf7128 Před rokem

    best episode ever--clear, to the point and what an awesome topic.

  • @luudest
    @luudest Před rokem +9

    Einstein just shows up everywhere.

    • @HaloForgeUltra
      @HaloForgeUltra Před rokem

      Ignore the bot. The video its sharing is just some stupid animal video.
      Here, I have an actual video of the moons formation conveniently ready, animated and 15 minutes long, with explanations. Or is it just a rickroll?
      You decide: czcams.com/video/6SrsZVdU740/video.html

  • @thomascaldwell184
    @thomascaldwell184 Před rokem +3

    Damn I love PBS Space Time. Pretty much everything about it. Especially today the wry humor. (And/or humour for most of the rest of the English speaking world.)

  • @hp127
    @hp127 Před rokem

    Wonderful explanations of procedures and the 'how do we know. Thanks

  • @JoseCastillo-wx6jd
    @JoseCastillo-wx6jd Před rokem

    Excellent video, Congrats.

  • @nasonguy
    @nasonguy Před rokem +3

    Forget Schrodinger's Cat, we need to make Einstein's Moon the new totally misunderstood meme/thought experiment.

    • @osmosisjones4912
      @osmosisjones4912 Před rokem

      Color exist even when our eyes and Brain don't detect them .
      And emotions are impulse signal waves.
      Hormones aren't even chemical reactions they push bottoms on the cells that are reactions

  • @thiagocastrodias2
    @thiagocastrodias2 Před rokem +5

    Wow, that was probably the best video about Moon Formation I've ever seen. Thank you!

    • @franck3279
      @franck3279 Před rokem +1

      Lets use a scale from moonfall to pbs spacetime in the future

  • @Dutch166462
    @Dutch166462 Před rokem

    Bravo! Best spacetime video yet!

  • @avishaysiso12
    @avishaysiso12 Před rokem

    Such a great channel, thank you!

  • @tomkerruish2982
    @tomkerruish2982 Před rokem +3

    This could also explain why Earth has the highest density of the planets, since much of the lower-density material was blown into space, never to return.

  • @NewMessage
    @NewMessage Před rokem +33

    I dunno if I could gain that much weight in 24 hours.. but I'm willing to give it a go next Thanksgiving!

    • @BattleBunny1979
      @BattleBunny1979 Před rokem +5

      you might end up having your own moon if you do it well enough!

  • @barbarahouk1983
    @barbarahouk1983 Před rokem

    TY for this presentation.

  • @jakeuren8688
    @jakeuren8688 Před rokem

    We missed you! Hope you all had a great new year

  • @baumgartnerwm
    @baumgartnerwm Před rokem +4

    After reading Azimov's Extraterrestial Civilizations on the Drake equation I wondered if the Earth's oversized Iron core was due to us steeling Theia's core. This is the first time I've seen that confirmed. The earth's powerful magnetic field is stronger because of the iron we stole from Theia. So many subtleties of that collision were essential to our existence.

    • @Nobody-df4is
      @Nobody-df4is Před rokem +2

      It was donated. Not stolen.

    • @ericeaton2386
      @ericeaton2386 Před rokem +1

      “Confirmed” is a little strong, but it certainly seems plausible!

    • @zuthalsoraniz6764
      @zuthalsoraniz6764 Před rokem +2

      And having a large moon is probably also at least very helpful for developing complex life/technological civilisation. Both because it stabilises the axial tilt and thus the climate (Earth's tilt varies only by about two degrees on a 41000-year cycle, versus about 20 degrees over a 53000-Mars-year cycle on Mars), and because the tidal forms formed by the relatively strong tides such a large moon causes provide a good jumping-off point for life to make the transition from living in the oceans to living on land.
      Plus of course, a large moon will also deflect or intercept a lot of potential asteroid/comet impacts, which is again helpful for climate stability.

  • @WoAzMM
    @WoAzMM Před rokem +10

    A new PBS Space Time episode? The time must be tooth hurty (sorry Matt, hope it doesn't hurt and gets fixed soon!)

    • @hugomzo
      @hugomzo Před rokem +5

      I thought I was the only one to notice! I've seen so many episodes, it threw me off immediately

    • @wk8219
      @wk8219 Před rokem +2

      @@hugomzo It seemed to have happen just before the episode before this. Last episode only one person mentioned it but 8+ on this one. I dont see any reason mentioned. I hope he's ok.

    • @Hermes_Agoraeus
      @Hermes_Agoraeus Před rokem +3

      @@wk8219 My similar question from the last video didn't get upvoted, so I deleted it thinking I was mistaken--but here we are!

  • @mikecatterson1
    @mikecatterson1 Před rokem +21

    Yes. The moon only renders when observed.

    • @franck3279
      @franck3279 Před rokem +5

      And it’s conviniently tid1l locked to save on textures.

    • @EnglishMike
      @EnglishMike Před rokem +1

      @@franck3279 And updating to Unreal Engine version 5 really helped in the handling of the various levels of detail required when using telescopes of different sizes.

  • @isobarkley
    @isobarkley Před rokem

    i absolutely love this new theory! i can't wait for further simulations

  • @garmtpug
    @garmtpug Před rokem

    Extremely interesting!! Thank you!

  • @Boomer08888
    @Boomer08888 Před rokem +7

    Matt, did you chip a tooth? Hope you're alright!

  • @anarchyantz1564
    @anarchyantz1564 Před rokem +5

    Happy New Orbital Revolution around our nearest celestial object! Fantastic visuals today, your team really hit the moon out of the orbit.

  • @AliAli-tj9pd
    @AliAli-tj9pd Před rokem

    Well explained and illustrated.
    Thanks for you & your efforts

    • @user-js8qy9pe7m
      @user-js8qy9pe7m Před rokem

      Thanks for watching
      Tell Aɴᴅʀᴇɪ Jɪᴋʜ, you were referred by me he has something new to discuss with you easily get in touch with him 👆✍️

  • @whuzzzup
    @whuzzzup Před rokem +2

    It would be kinda neat to actually link your sources. Then I could actually use them for teaching more easily.

  • @travishunter8573
    @travishunter8573 Před rokem +3

    Just a correction you said "Neptune's moon Titan" at 7:23 either this should be "Neptune's moon Triton" or "Saturn's moon Titan"

    • @LuisAldamiz
      @LuisAldamiz Před rokem

      Accent: does he even pronounce rhotics at all?

    • @ewetoob1924
      @ewetoob1924 Před rokem +1

      @@LuisAldamiz Rhotic is only dropped after a vowel, e.g. in Mars, not in Triton.

    • @LuisAldamiz
      @LuisAldamiz Před rokem

      @@ewetoob1924 - I'm pretty sure that depends on speaker/dialect, I can really see how some English native speakers drop the "r" in Triton, making it sound like "Titan" (a/o letters also tend to merge phonetically in this position). Other English speakers, notably from Scotland, may instead overemphasize the rhotic instead, with an almost but not quite identical sound to southern European languages like Spanish ("trrriton"), a quite strong thrill.
      I prefer that rhotics are pronounced, mind you, in all localities, but I have to live with what life offers me, not always at my leisure.
      I also had difficulties with another of Matt's videos in which he constantly and alternately pronounced the words "micro" and "macro" exactly the same ("a" and "i" totally merged into what most would identify as an "i" sound as in the Southern USA, which is almost "aa"), so much that I had to activate the subtitles. But in this case it's a very minor single "offense".

    • @ewetoob1924
      @ewetoob1924 Před rokem

      @@LuisAldamiz Matt just mistakenly said Titan instead of Triton, nothing to do with accent. Easy mistake.
      Try this for understanding micro/macro: czcams.com/video/rrZtQY_HA-s/video.html The two words sound similar in both US and Australian accents.
      And note that not all British are non-rhotic, just as not all Americans are rhotic. Been to Boston?

  • @MichaelKire
    @MichaelKire Před rokem +4

    Never clicked a video so fast

  • @davidthane9002
    @davidthane9002 Před rokem +1

    About the metallic Hydrogen question:
    Metallic properties does not specifically mean "free moving electrons". The electrons in solids made up of covalent bonds (like diamond) are free moving as well. (some scientist argue that covalent and metal bonds in solids aren't really different anyway)
    The real catch is the electron's ability to have a change in "speed" (or "momentum") which leads to electrical conductivity. The main requirement are empty electronic energy states at the Fermi level. (i.e. the 'band' isn't completely filled and 'crosses' the Fermi level) . Which in turn leads to the simple picture of the "Valence-band" and "Conductorband" touching. (in contrast to the semi-conductor/isolator solids which show a band-gap.
    Incidentally solid hydrogen in its ground state has one band, (made from the 1s-electron orbitals) which is filled about 50%. So the Fermi-level and the half filled band directly intersect and the electrons have quire a few energy states available for change in impulse.
    And so it has the typical metallic properties of high electrical/thermal conductivity, metallic sheen (from absorbing and emitting light through the electrons) etc.

  • @bobmin1782
    @bobmin1782 Před rokem

    That animation of the moon crashing into earth around 8:54 is spectacular. Thank you.

  • @DataSmithy
    @DataSmithy Před rokem +3

    Thank you for doing this episode. The uniqueness of the formation of the Earth/Moon system has always intrigued me. The moon has always seemed to have a lot to do and to be important to the origin of life. I have always wondered if the uniqueness of our moon was in fact one of the great filters for the origin of life on Earth
    The Moon causes tides, and stabilizes Earth's orbit. The collision with Thea probably has a lot to do with the formation of our strong magnetic field, and circulating layers of magma in our core and mantle, and removing a lot of extra crust into orbit may have something to do with a thinner crust, and allowing the formation of tectonic plates, which is important for the formation of life, especially land life.

  • @NeonVisual
    @NeonVisual Před rokem +3

    It took me 14 years to get my mooning right.

    • @-SRM-
      @-SRM- Před rokem

      It's a process.

  • @mrrolandlawrence
    @mrrolandlawrence Před rokem

    i love the q&a section at the end. :)

  • @kbjerke
    @kbjerke Před rokem

    LOVE the cat reference at the end. Great video, thank you!

  • @AdrianBoyko
    @AdrianBoyko Před rokem +3

    Poll time. Which is more correct?
    1) “different to”
    2) “different than”

  • @firstcynic92
    @firstcynic92 Před rokem +5

    7:20. Neptune's moon Triton, not Titan.
    11:10 Theia crashes into the Proto-Earth, not Theia crashes into the moon.

  • @lexinwonderland5741
    @lexinwonderland5741 Před rokem

    Okay, the segue to the ad was hilarious, I'm actually impressed.

  • @Aut0mati0n
    @Aut0mati0n Před rokem +1

    Oh that's such a cool simulation. It looks SO GOOD!

  • @a51mj12
    @a51mj12 Před rokem +4

    Is his tooth chipped? If so, is it easily fixable...

  • @ramuk1933
    @ramuk1933 Před rokem +4

    Wait... it couldn't have happened over months because the moon, and therefore months, didn't exist yet!

  • @planexshifter
    @planexshifter Před rokem

    That new simulation was amazing looking and quite mind blowing!

  • @zwerko
    @zwerko Před rokem

    The response to the last question on cats being simultaneously solid and liquid is-chef's kiss!

  • @das_it_mane
    @das_it_mane Před rokem

    This was a wonderful video thank you

  • @jimmystecher5214
    @jimmystecher5214 Před rokem

    Every time I watch these episodes, it blows my mind. Wow.

  • @stewartmartin7376
    @stewartmartin7376 Před rokem +1

    It is quite amazing all these things that had to go right in order to get us

  • @NiffirgkcaJ
    @NiffirgkcaJ Před rokem

    10:37
    "Yet."
    This gave me goosebumps.

  • @Yewbzee
    @Yewbzee Před rokem +1

    Damn, at last, I've managed to understand a full video on PBS. I'm off to celebrate with a bottle of wine or two.

  • @giovannipescarmona3712

    This is the best content on the web. THANK YOU!

  • @nibnob9
    @nibnob9 Před rokem

    very good moon episode!

  • @dr.victorvs
    @dr.victorvs Před rokem

    It's not every day that we make a list of hypotheses for a natural phenomenon, and the winner hypothesis is the coolest one. Props to those involved.