
Also, this hypothesis does not have a natural explanation for the extra baking the lunar material has received. Something would have to slow it down by just the right amount at just the right time, and scientists are reluctant to believe in such "fine tuning".

The Moon's different chemical composition could be explained if it formed elsewhere in the solar system, however, capture into the Moon's present orbit is very improbable. The Capture Theory: This theory proposes that the Moon was formed somewhere else in the solar system, and was later captured by the gravitational field of the Earth.However, the present-day Earth-Moon system should contain "fossil evidence" of this rapid spin and it does not. This theory was thought possible since the Moon's composition resembles that of the Earth's mantle and a rapidly spinning Earth could have cast off the Moon from its outer layers. The present Pacific Ocean basin is the most popular site for the part of the Earth from which the Moon came. The Fission Theory: This theory proposes that the Moon was once part of the Earth and somehow separated from the Earth early in the history of the solar system.Below these theories are listed along with the reasons they have since been discounted. Various theories had been proposed for the formation of the Moon.


The relative abundance of oxygen isotopes on Earth and on the Moon are identical, which suggests that the Earth and Moon formed at the same distance from the Sun.water), which implies extra baking of the lunar surface relative to that of Earth. Moon rocks contain few volatile substances (e.g.The Moon's low density (3.3 g/cc) shows that it does not have a substantial iron core like the Earth does.Where did the Moon come from? StarChild Question of the Month for October 2001 Question:Īny theory which explains the existence of the Moon must naturally explain the following facts:
