‘Unstable’ Moons May Be Obliterating Alien Life Across the Universe

A new study conducted by UCLA astronomer Brad Hansen suggests that the collision of exoplanets and their moons may be a regular occurrence. Although no exomoons have been identified, Hansen used computer simulations to explore possible interactions and effects on life in distant star systems. Gravity rules the way that planets and their moons interact, revealing that the moon moves away from Earth by an inch each year, whilst the planet spins just slightly slower as Earth loses some angular momentum to the moon’s orbit. This situation could evolve much faster around some exoplanets, particularly those much closer to their star compared with Earth and the Sun: Hansen’s calculations suggest that planets and their “unstable” moons could collide within the first billion years of their formation. Hansen’s simulations estimate that moons that have wandered away from their host planet often return and collide with them to create huge dust clouds that last only about 10,000 years before fading away, and replenishing the starlit exosphere.



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