Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-5nwft Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-01T13:06:12.918Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

How common are Earth-Moon planetary systems?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 November 2011

Sebastian Elser
Affiliation:
Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland email: selser@physik.uzh.ch, stadel@physik.uzh.ch, moore@physik.uzh.ch
Joachim Stadel
Affiliation:
Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland email: selser@physik.uzh.ch, stadel@physik.uzh.ch, moore@physik.uzh.ch
Ben Moore
Affiliation:
Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland email: selser@physik.uzh.ch, stadel@physik.uzh.ch, moore@physik.uzh.ch
Ryuji Morishima
Affiliation:
LASP, University of Colorado, Colorado 80303-7814, USA email: ryuji.morishima@lasp.colorado.edu
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The Earth's comparatively massive moon, formed via a giant impact on the proto-Earth, has played an important role in the development of life on our planet. Here we study how frequently Earth-Moon planetary systems occur. We derive limits on the collision parameters that may guarantee the formation of a circumplanetary disk after a protoplanet collision that could form a satellite. Based on a large set of simulations, we observe potential moon forming impacts and conclude that giant impacts with the required energy and orbital parameters for producing a binary planetary system occur frequently with more than one in ten terrestrial planets hosting a massive moon.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2011

References

Cameron, A. G. W. & Benz, W. 1991, Icarus, 92, 204CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Canup, M. R. 2008, Icarus, 196, 518CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hartmann, W. K. & Davis, D. R. 1975, Icarus, 24, 504Google Scholar
Laskar, J., Joutel, F., & Robutel, P. 1993, Nature, 361, 615CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lathe, R. 2004, Icarus, 168, 18CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morishima, R., Stadel, J., & Moore, B. 2010, Icarus. 207, 517CrossRefGoogle Scholar