Origin Story
April 2, 2012 9:32 AM   Subscribe

The Evolution of the Moon: a cool, short video made with information from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
posted by quin (21 comments total) 12 users marked this as a favorite
 
My god, it's full of scars!
posted by Awakened at 9:39 AM on April 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


"Evolution?" Well, that's going to keep it out of classrooms across the country...
posted by oneswellfoop at 9:52 AM on April 2, 2012




Why'd they skip the part where it's torn from the face of the earth?
posted by grog at 9:58 AM on April 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


Sound? Also, does their data really exclude the existence of smaller impacts concurrent with the older larger events? That would be neat, but they don't link to discussion.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 9:59 AM on April 2, 2012


How The Moon Was Born!

Oh, there it is... Thea?
posted by grog at 10:01 AM on April 2, 2012


Don't scroll down to the Comment section on this Video.
posted by DU at 10:03 AM on April 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


*Pours out some regolith for Thea*
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 10:03 AM on April 2, 2012 [2 favorites]


wow, our moon was bombed one way.. and it was a sun before??
posted by prentenr at 10:16 AM on April 2, 2012


Don't scroll down to the Comment section on this Video.

It cannot be said often enough- never read the comments.
posted by zamboni at 10:17 AM on April 2, 2012


First of all, if you write "OMG Don't read the comments" the first thing people are going to do is read the comments.

Secondly these comment are not that bad, seems to be a kind of pointless argument about the definition of free speech and who is ruder: liberals or conservatives. Kind of beside the point but not the worst thing on the internet.
posted by delmoi at 11:06 AM on April 2, 2012


Secondly these comment are not that bad, seems to be a kind of pointless argument about the definition of free speech and who is ruder: liberals or conservatives. Kind of beside the point but not the worst thing on the internet.

But I ask you: what does the inherant comparative rudeness of liberals v. conseratives have to do with the origins of a celestial body?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:08 AM on April 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


It cannot be said often enough- never read the comments.

Forewarned is forearmed.
posted by hal9k at 11:08 AM on April 2, 2012


Every strike on the lunar face is one that doesn't hit Earth.
posted by Renoroc at 11:13 AM on April 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


But I ask you: what does the inherant comparative rudeness of liberals v. conseratives have to do with the origins of a celestial body?

Oh, you must be libertarian.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:26 AM on April 2, 2012


NASA, a scientific organization, should be more careful with its terms. 'Evolution' is unsuitable in this context.
posted by anigbrowl at 12:14 PM on April 2, 2012


Why is evolution an unsuitable term?

Dictionary.com defines one of the meanings of evolution as:

any process of formation or growth; development: the evolution of a language; the evolution of the airplane.

I think that fits just fine.
posted by Quack at 12:45 PM on April 2, 2012


Every strike on the lunar face is one that doesn't hit Earth.

There were lots of strikes on the earth's surface at the time.
posted by delmoi at 1:32 PM on April 2, 2012


Needs more Eno.
posted by hifimofo at 4:34 PM on April 2, 2012


Poor moon can't catch a break.
posted by Sreiny at 6:31 PM on April 2, 2012


The volume of the moon is infinitesimal in relation to the volume of the solar system. So to be bombarded, debris density must have been extraordinarily high (surely?). I presume the existing planets scooped up that debris in their gravitational field, to account for its relative absence now. Yet they seem too small to have done so, given the quantity of debris there must have been to generate significant impact rate in such a huge volume.

Bottom line: my intuitive grasp of physics, evolved on the savannah, is rather letting me down at interplanetary scale.
posted by falcon at 2:01 AM on April 3, 2012


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