The Search for the Solar System's Lost Planet

yahoo/space.com ^ | 4/13/09 | Clara Moskowitz

[Vaquero]

Clara Moskowitz

The solar system might once have had another planet named Theia, which may have helped create our own planet's moon.

Now two spacecrafts are heading out to search for leftovers from this rumored sibling, which would have been destroyed when the solar system was still young.

"It's a hypothetical world. We've never actually seen it, but some researchers believe it existed 4.5 billion years ago — and that it collided with Earth to form the moon," said Mike Kaiser, a NASA scientist at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland...

[dr_who]

If there once was another planet named Theia, who came up with the name?

[chuck_the_tv_out]

“named Theia”

who came up with that?

“4.5 billion years ago — and that it collided with Earth to form the moon”

rubbish. that wouldn’t account for the rotation.

[Vaquero]

PING

[brytlea]

LOL excellent point. Perhaps it’s where the Thetans came from....

[Vaquero]

the guys who proposed this theory, I suppose gave the planet the name.....

[dr_who]

( Of course, the real name of that planet was actually Mondas, but it's often better to humor some ignorant Earthlings than debate commonly known facts)

[Vaquero]

ah, Dr. Chuck, the planetary scientist.

[fanfan]

We should be able to see it pretty soon if it’s ‘arriving’ in 2012, doncha’ think?
At least that’s what I hear on the world wide web.

;-)

[Snickering Hound]

"The only theory that works is that Xenu parked the moon in it's current orbit just to prove that he could!"

[r9etb]

If there once was another planet named Theia, who came up with the name?

I'd say it was a gamer geek who ran into her at a gamer's convention....

[Lee'sGhost]

The New Capricans.

[chuck_the_tv_out]

Hey, I’m commenting on the story, so you have to come & give me personal hassle? You babysitting you poast?

[Vaquero]

poast?

???????

[dr_who]

"Thetans"......? Umm....not quite...

[dr_who]

How hard did he run into her? Must have been the highlight of his life.

[LibLieSlayer]

I believe in Pluto power. I would bet (if I were a betting man) that there is a Federal grant at the bottom of this story.

LLS

[SampleMan]

The Search for the Solar System's Lost Planet

Have they tried looking under the sofa cushions?

[brytlea]

A whole family of tin woodsmen?

[cripplecreek]

Anything left would sefely be sitting at the Lagrange points and wouldn’t pose any danger to us. Fortunately this is a bit of a side job for an existing mission so the cost isn’t huge.

It’s really just an attempt to gather some evidence to support the theory.