Theia, the mysterious cosmic body that hit Earth and gave birth to the Moon

According to a theory also supported by NASA, 4.5 billion years ago, a massive object crashed into our planet. After a period of chaos, the Earth chose the Moon, its only natural satellite.

Despite the hundreds of artificial satellites that shadow the sky today, a single object has dominated the night sky for millions of years.

Photo: Laura O'Dogherty

The Moon has accompanied our planet throughout its geological history, governing the movement of the seas and some of the Earth's gravitational dynamics.

Over the centuries of astronomical obser…