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It's generally believed that a protoplanet about the same size as the present-day Mars struck Earth early in the solar system's formation.This impact ejected material from Eath that eventually became the moon.

This seems so likely that this hypothetical protoplanet has even been given a name, Theia.

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11y ago
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12y ago

The Giant Impact Hypothesis.

Although this hypothesis leaves some facts unexplained, the gaps are FAR smaller than any other hypothesis. It is now the most favored idea on how our Earth got a moon so large relative to the size of the planet it orbits.

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15y ago

The best explanation currently is that a rogue planet not much smaller than earth plunged into the earth while the earth was mostly molten rock. This caused a mass of material to be ejected, and this mass eventually settled into lunar orbit. Other theories fail for one reason or another; this one seems most likely at this time.

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11y ago

No Homer, it is not the big bang theory. The most widely accepted belief to date is the Giant Impact theory which states that, during the Hadien period in the time of the early bombardment approximately some 4.5 billion years ago, before there there was antraceable water on the surface. A collision occurred between a supposed Mars sized planet called Thea and the protoearth. This impact which was a glancing blow ejected a vast amount of vapor and molten rock in orbit around the still forming earth. All of this hot material circling the planet eventually joined together and solidified thereby forming our moon. But that is not the end of the story. To learn more watch the History Channel's show called The Universe and the episode entitled "If we had no Moon."

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12y ago

some people have theorized that the moon was part of the earth until a very large meteor hit it and smashed it off very early in the planets history. It is more likely that the moon formed at the same time as the nebula of the earth and that the moon attracted the dust and matter that was further out, giving it its own mass and distinct composition.

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11y ago

A large meteor crashed into the earth, destroying itself into little pieces, these pieces formed rings around the planet as they were trapped by the gravitational pull. Over time, these little peices crashed into each other and slowly joining together to create bigger and bigger rocks. Once the largest of rocks got big enough it then formed its own gravitational field and the forces of its own gravity shaped it into a sphere. This sphere is now known as the moon.

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12y ago

Three significant suggestions that I am aware of. One says the Moon is a captured wandering body. The second suggests the moon, like the Earth, was formed from accretion of matter and the third says the moon was formed from a collision of the proto-Earth with a large celestial body.

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12y ago

The currently most-accepted theory is that it was the result of an impact, of a giant object with Earth.

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13y ago

Impact theory.

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