Simulations Reveal How Planetary Impacts Affect Atmosphere @NASAAmes

Uploaded September 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

A cross-section of a 3D simulation replicating a scenario for the impact that formed the Moon, showing a roughly Mars-mass impactor grazing an Earth-like target at a 45-degree angle. The simulation uses over 100 million particles, colored by their internal energy, related to their temperature.

This is one of more than 300 simulations that scientists at Durham University in the United Kingdom, alongside researchers at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, ran to develop a way to predict how much atmosphere is lost from a wide range of collisions between rocky objects, presented in a new study.

Learn more: nasa.gov/image-feature/ames/planetary-impact-simulations

Video credit: Jacob Kegerreis/Durham University

NASA's Ames Research Center is located in California's Silicon Valley. Follow us on social media to hear about the latest developments in space, science, technology and aeronautics.

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