Simulation of the explosive origin of a planetary satellite

Explosion in the planetary interior and the ejection of the part of outer layers of the planet into orbit to form a satellite makes it possible to explain the elemental and isotopic composition of the Moon. Satellite formation has been simulated for a two-dimensional geometry using molecular dynamics methods for up to hundreds of thousands particles. The particles are asteroid-size bodies (diameter of about 100 km) which interact with each other according to Newton's law. The properties of the compact material are described by a short-range potential. A number of calculations with varying initial conditions have shown the scenario of the explosive origin of the Moon to be realistic and preferred over other hypotheses.