Episode VIII: The Violent Youth of Earth

A hyper-realistic, wide-angle cosmic view of early Earth during the Giant Impact. A Mars-sized protoplanet collides with a molten, lava-covered Earth, ejecting a massive arc of incandescent debris into space. In the dark, turbulent sky, a large, glowing Moon begins to form within a debris disk, while asteroids strike the surface and volcanic eruptions release thick ash and lightning under a dim, young Sun.

There is a tendency to imagine beginnings as gentle. A cradle. A quiet glow. A slow unfolding into order. That tendency is understandable, but it is incorrect. The early Earth did not begin in stillness. It began in heat so absolute that solidity itself was a temporary rumor. What would one day be continents existed … Continue reading Episode VIII: The Violent Youth of Earth