Robin Canup facts for kids
Robin M. Canup, born on November 20, 1968, is an American scientist who studies planets. Her main work is about how planets and their moons are formed. In 2003, she won a special award called the Harold C. Urey Prize. In April 2022, she helped lead a big study about future space missions, sharing its findings with another scientist.
Her Life and Education
Robin Canup went to Duke University for her first degree. She then earned her PhD from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Canup is well-known for her research on the giant impact hypothesis. This idea helps explain how the Moon was formed. She uses powerful computer models to show how planets might have crashed into each other.
In 2012, Canup shared a new idea about how the Moon and Earth were made. She suggested it happened in a few steps. First, two very large planet-like objects, each bigger than Mars, crashed into each other. Then, these two pieces crashed again to form what we now call Earth. After this second crash, a disk of material was left around Earth. This material then came together to form our Moon. She has even written a book about how the Earth and Moon began.
Canup has also studied how Pluto and its moon, Charon, might have formed from a giant impact.
Besides her science work, Canup is a talented ballet dancer. She even danced the main role in the ballet Coppélia just one week after finishing her PhD!
Her Important Research
- Robin M. Canup has written a book about how the Earth and Moon were formed.
- She also co-authored a paper called Origin of the Moon in 2023.
See also
In Spanish: Robin Canup para niños
