Where did our moon come from?
Short Wave
NPR
4.7 • 6.5K Ratings
🗓️ 22 April 2026
⏱️ 13 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
How did it happen? This episode, co-host Regina G. Barber searches for answers with planetary scientists. With co-host Emily Kwong, they discuss how the moon was likely made, how scientists know and what that might mean for where Earth’s water came from.
Check out Regina's reporting on hydrothermal vents.
Interested in more planetary science? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.
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A previous version of this episode mischaracterized a scientific hypothesis. The episode incorrectly said the idea is that hydrothermal vents may have been the origin of water on Earth. In fact, the hypothesis is that life may have come from hydrothermal vents.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to Shortwave from NPR. |
| 0:05.4 | Hey, shortwave is Emily Kwong here, and I don't know about you, but nothing grounds me quite like looking at the moon, this beautiful, powerful companion to Earth. |
| 0:15.4 | And for the first time in over 50 years, humans have traveled around the moon. |
| 0:20.2 | Three, two, one, booster ignition, and lift off. |
| 0:25.5 | And we have a beautiful moon rise. |
| 0:27.2 | We're headed right at it. |
| 0:28.0 | We have reached the closest point of our destination to the moon. |
| 0:32.4 | And back on the Artemis 2. |
| 0:36.0 | Houston integrity, splashdown, sending post-land in command now. |
| 0:39.2 | A new chapter of the exploration of our celestial neighbor is complete. |
| 0:43.4 | Integrities astronauts back on Earth. |
| 0:46.2 | And all of this moon joy has got me thinking about everything the moon has been through. |
| 0:50.8 | Because she's been through a lot. |
| 0:52.8 | Yes, Regina Barber, my shortwave co-host and |
| 0:55.3 | Astrophysics Queen. Yes. Also our resident moon connoisseur. True. Mistress of moons. I like that one. |
| 1:02.1 | Okay. Speaking of names, other moons have names, like Europa. Yeah. So Europa is one of Jupiter's large |
| 1:08.8 | moons. It's my favorite moon. |
| 1:13.6 | But today's episode is all about Earth's moon. |
| 1:17.7 | Some people call it Luna, but its name is the moon with a capital M. With a capital M. |
| 1:19.5 | What is then the leading hypothesis on how she was born? |
| 1:23.8 | Through a collision. |
| 1:26.0 | By a giant impact with a Mars-sized body named Thea and Earth, that then shot out magma from the Earth and that balled up and formed the moon. |
... |
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