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Science 24 January 1986:
Vol. 231. no. 4736, pp. 341 - 345
DOI: 10.1126/science.231.4736.341
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Articles

The Origin of the Moon

ALAN P. BOSS 1

1 Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, 5241 Broad Branch Road, NW, Washington DC 20015.

The origin of the moon is considered within the theory of formation of the terrestrial planets by accumulation of planetesimals. The theory predicts the occurrence of giant impacts, suggesting that the moon formed after a roughly Mars-sized body impacted on the protoearth. The impact blasted portions of the protoearth and the impacting body into geocentric orbit, forming a prelunar disk from which the moon later accreted. Although other mechanisms for formation of the moon appear to be dynamically impossible or implausible, fundamental questions must be answered before a giant impact origin can be considered both possible and probable.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)