Many scientists believe that an ancient planet called Theia crashed into Earth during its formative years that led to the birth of moon
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Now, a new study has claimed that gas giant Jupiter could have played a major role in the formation of Earth's moon
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Space scientists led by the University of Leicester have analysed evidence from a destroyed asteroid dating back billions of years ago
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It is from the time of the "great instability" event, which happened 60–100 million years after the solar system's formation
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The orbital instability sent planets careening through space and into their current locations
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During this migration, Jupiter could have destabilised the orbit of a Mars-sized planet called Theia that collided into Earth and sent debris into space
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It is this debris, scientists believe, that may have formed the moon
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The scientists focussed on a type of meteorite known as enstatite chondrites, which have a very similar composition to Earth
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Through spectroscopic observations, they linked meteorites to their source - in the asteroid belt known as Athor
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Previous evidence has shown that Earth's moon was formed during this period