Introduction
This is the second of the Moon Origin posts. This post
explains the Capture Theory, which at the moment in scientific circles, is
popular but not as popular as the Giant Impact Theory. This theory just like
the Giant Impact Theory has some holes. These holes are covered in this post.
The following excerpt comes from the book “Modern Mysteries
of the Moon” by Vincent S. Foster.
The Capture Theory
“This hypothesis
states that Earth captured the Moon. This was popular until the 1980s. Some
things in favor of this model include the Moon’s size, orbit, and tidal
locking. One problem is understanding the capture mechanism. A close encounter
with Earth typically results in either collision or altered trajectories. For
this hypothesis to work, the primitive Earth would had to have had an extended
atmosphere around it, which would have been able to slow the movement of the
Moon before it could escape. That may also explain the irregular satellite
orbits of Jupiter and Saturn.
In addition, this
hypothesis has difficulty explaining the identical oxygen isotope ratios of
Earth and the Moon.”
End (66).
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