My son asked me this yesterday. He's in the second grade and they have been studying planets.
2006-09-21 06:30:32 · 6 answers · asked by harrypotterisgreat 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
Unfortunately, a collision between Eath and Mars today would almost definitely destroy both planets. But scientists believe that a collision did once occur between the Earth and an object the size of Mars happened about 4.5 billion years ago. The object's core was absorbed into the Earth's existing core, and outer portions of both bodies combined in orbit around Earth to become the Moon. The collision didn't destroy the Earth because the collision happened at just the right angle, and the Earth was young and more molten back then.
If you wanted to imagine that the Earth and Mars could somehow combine into a new planet that would share some properties of both, I suppose you'd have a planet that was a bit smaller than the Earth, with a bit less gravity. We'd have two smallish, lumpy moons instead of one big one. The air would be thinner and there'd be more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. That might make plants grow more robustly, while people would find it harder to exert themselves. Also, the sky would be a kind of butterscotch color but with some blue at sunset, and the sun wouldn't be as bright or as warm as it is on Earth.
2006-09-21 06:40:51 · answer #1 · answered by DavidK93 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Mars and Earth are a lot alike. Mars + Earth would be a planet about 8500 miles in diameter. There's a lot of metal on Mars so there would probably a lot of extra gravity on the new Earth. That means that MAYBE more asteroids would hit this new planet. For 2nd grade, there's a lot of similarities between the planets. The orbit might be further out, But people would still be here, asking awesome questions just like your son has.
2006-09-21 06:42:08 · answer #2 · answered by words_smith_4u 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi. The Earth had lots of iron when it was new but the early oxygen producing life forms caused most of the surface iron to rust. If Mars were combined with Earth then there would be more iron to start with and it may have taken much longer to rust. It was only after the rust formed that oxygen started to collect in the atmosphere, so life have have started later, or been much different.
2006-09-21 06:34:39 · answer #3 · answered by Cirric 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
it would be planet mearth and everyone would be like they are now but real tall with antenna and we'd have huge caverns, caves and lake beds along with oceans and forests...
amusement parks with 500 mile high roller coaster rockets and a ride to saturns rings for only 234 qualutes!
and elvis would be purple and green and have laser beam eyes and perform at the amusement parks tossing out ectoplasmic energy juice bars for everyone!
and our president would be musically inclined and would help the impoverished children of the galaxy learn to levitate and communicate in 3400 different languages with our tax credit luxon money and programs sponsored by several solar systems in a nation of galatic harmony.
yeh right.
BLAH!
2006-09-21 06:41:26 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Barron
2006-09-23 02:30:26 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would name that planet Chaos.
2006-09-22 18:55:57 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋