Theories on how the Moon formed
Before the Apollo mission research, there were three theories about how the Moon formed.
- Capture theory suggests that the Moon was a wandering body that was captured by Earth's gravity as it passed nearby.
- Accretion theory suggests that the Moon was created along with Earth at its formation.
- The fission scenario proposes that the Earth spun so fast that some material broke away and began to orbit the planet.
Today, the giant-impact theory is widely accepted. It proposes that Earth and a small planet collided. The debris from this impact collected in orbit around Earth to form the Moon.
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