The Origin of the Moon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Origin of the Moon - move ExampleThe earliest theory among them is that macrocosm had somehow spawned the daydream out (Schrunk, 1). George Darwin, son of the bio system of logical ontogeny theorist, Charles Darwin, had proposed this theory known as fission hypothesis in 1878 (Schrunk,1). This theory was based on the logic that as bootleg is gradually moving away from the mankind (because the time taken by moon about to make one revolution around the earth goes on increasing), logically it erect be reason that this is the continuation of an outward momentum initiated by the fission. Hence it is concluded that once moon might charter been closer to the earth than it is now (Schrunk, 1). The reason for the split is also well-explained in fission theory. It is speculated that some chassis of gravitational imbalance within the earth caused by its previous shape might hasten make it spit out a piece which became moon. The fission theory is supported by the fact that the t icker matter of moon is not as massive as the earths and also that homogeneous nonradioactive stable oxygen isotopes are found on the terrestrial rocks of both earth and moon (Gergo, 4,5). Thus this theory speculates that it was from the less dense mantle of the earth that moon was broken away as a separate entity. The weakness of fission theory is that there is a scientifically proven marginal distance near to the earth below which moon cannot exist in substantialness form and can exist only as a ring of debris (Schrunk, 1). Hence moon could never be close to earth within this minimum distance and continue to exist as a solid cosmic body. After proving this in 1873, Edouard Roche contested fission hypothesis and put forth the co-accretion theory (Schrunk, 1). Co-accretion theory said that earth and moon most probably might have been formed at the corresponding time, in the same neighborhood of the solar system (Schrunk, 2). This is an assumption based on the similarities in bo dily structure between earth and moon like the presence of oxygen isotopes. A third theory on the origin of moon was proposed by Thomas.J.J.See (qtd in Schrunk) who theorized that moon was a captured satellite (Schrunk, 2). This theory was supported by one fact which came to light in that period. It was proven that at least some of the satellites of Saturn and Jupiter might have been captured ones (Schrunk, 2). Sees theory later came to be called as capture hypothesis (Schrunk, 2). This theory says that owe to the gravitational dynamics within and around the area where now the solar system exists, the orbit of moon (which was then far away from the earth) came near the earth (Schrunk, 2). And earth captured moon into becoming its satellite. The fourth and current hypothesis on the origin of moon is known as planetesimal impact hypothesis and this theory has evolved combining certain features of all the three theories on the origin of moon that were proposed before it (Schrunk, 2) . This hypothesis takes the idea that earth was hit by a pre-planetory body of the size of Mars, from the capture hypothesis (Schrunk, 2). It also brings in the strain that this collision had forced out, a huge quantity of debris which is a proposition put prior by the fission hypothesis (Schrunk, 2). And finally the planetesimal impact hypothesis also concludes that this debris condensed into moon, as was suggested part by the co-accretion hypothesis (Schrunk, 2). The collision is supposed to have happened around 100 million years afterwards the formation of the earth (Wilkinson, 73). This great impct is also thought to have caused the tipping of the axis of the earth and inaugurated the seasons on earth (Wilkinson, 73). This is the theory on moons origin which has gained the maximum approval. This is also in the context of many