How Did the Moon Form?

How and when did the Moon form? Theories have come and gone. One current theory is that when the Earth was young – less than one-hundred millions old – a planet hit the Earth. If true, then the Moon might have formed out of the collision debris launched into orbit around the devastated Earth. Another theory is that the Moon was captured by the invisible hand of gravity without a collision. Are one of these correct? How are we to know? In this talk, Dr. Darren Williams describes what is known about the Moon and uses facts to debate the merits of old and new ideas for how and when it formed.

Dr. Williams is a Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Planetary Science at Penn State Behrend in Erie Pennsylvania. In addition to teaching astronomy, he studies the climates, orbits, observable characteristics, and dynamical evolution of planets and satellites. He is perhaps best known for his innovative work on the formation and habitability of exoplanetary moons, as well as the climates of Earth-like planets with unusual spins and orbital shapes. His present work is on the final stages of planetary accretion, the formation of the Moon, and designs for a new miniature space telescope (The “Pale-Blue-Dot” Telescope) to remotely observe the terrestrial planets at sub-pixel resolution.

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