Planets are expected to conclude their growth through a series of giant impacts: energetic,
global events that significantly alter planetary composition and evolution. Computer models …

Seismic images of Earth's interior have revealed two continent-sized anomalies with low
seismic velocities, known as the large low-velocity provinces (LLVPs), in the lowermost …

We simulate the collision of precursor icy moons analogous to Dione and Rhea as a
possible origin for Saturn's remarkably young rings. Such an event could have been …

The Moon is traditionally thought to have coalesced from the debris ejected by a giant
impact onto the early Earth. However, such models struggle to explain the similar isotopic …

A conceptual framework for the origin of the Moon must explain both the chemical and the
mechanical characteristics of the Earth–Moon system to be viable. The classic concept of an …

The origin of Mercury's high iron-to-rock ratio is still unknown. In this work we investigate
Mercury's formation via giant impacts and consider the possibilities of a single giant impact …

We perform simulations of giant impacts on to the young Uranus using smoothed particle
hydrodynamics (SPH) with over 100 million particles. This 100–1000× improvement in …

In the canonical model of Moon formation, a Mars-sized protoplanet" Theia" collides with
proto-Earth at close to their mutual escape velocity v esc and a common impact angle∼ 45 …

The origin of Mars's small moons, Phobos and Deimos, remains unknown. They are typically
thought either to be captured asteroids or to have accreted from a debris disk produced by a …

We examine the mechanisms by which the atmosphere can be eroded by giant impacts onto
Earth-like planets with thin atmospheres, using 3D smoothed particle hydrodynamics …