The moon formed 4.47 billion years ago, nearly 100 million years after the start of the solar system, according to a new study.
A team of researchers from France, Germany and the United States analysed the growth history of Earth-like planets from 259 simulations.
They discovered a relationship between the time the Earth was impacted by a Mars-sized object to create the moon and the amount of material added to the Earth after that impact.
Lead author Seth Jacobson, from the Observatory de la Cote d'Azur in Nice, France, said the relationship was important because it doesn’t rely on radiometric dating methods.
Read more at Southwest Research Institute