Scientists Say the Moon Was Formed in a Head-On Collision Between Earth and a Forming Planet Called Theia

An earlier theory used to be that the moon hit the Earth on the side (as in the video below) but this stunning image is a reconstruction by scientists who say that it was a head-on collision that caused the impact. 

Edward Young, lead scientist of this study told UCLA Newsroom that they drew this conclusion from the fact that the Earth and the Moon are overwhelmingly made of the same materials. 

“Theia was thoroughly mixed into both the Earth and the moon, and evenly dispersed between them,” Young said. “This explains why we don’t see a different signature of Theia in the moon versus the Earth.”
via ULCA Newsroom