how did a planet as small as the earth capture such a large moon?

[gattaca]

how did a planet as small as the earth capture such a large moon?

how did a planet as small as the earth capture such a large moon?

 

[Lollerskates]

how did a planet as small as the earth capture such a large moon?

how did a planet as small as the earth capture such a large moon?

Shh.

Whether you are trying to be witty, or genuinely inquisitive, you are going into deep waters with that question. Prepare (if you entertain other than the standard of science) to be ridiculed

You ready?

how did a planet as small as the earth capture such a large moon?

That, detective, is the right question. Program Terminated.

 

[gattaca]

Shh.

Whether you are trying to be witty, or genuinely inquisitive, you are going into deep waters with that question. Prepare (if you entertain other than the standard of science) to be ridiculed

You ready?

That, detective, is the right question. Program Terminated.

yes genuinely inquisitive

 

[Lollerskates]

My opinion is that the moon was not this close, but was "tractored" in to affect tides, moods, and other hormones. We do not see the other side of the moon because it doesn't rotate around a N-S axis, it rotates around an E-W axis. The "man on the moon/DRAGON mouth" rotates like a clock during moon phases. It is theorized that the moon has become an outpost for extraterrestrial activity. (One reason why no one has ever been back, if they ever went at all.)

This is, of course, a theory - the tractor theory. It has to do with a lot of history that is extra-terrestrial. For example, there is a myth that Lemuria, the planet that was exploded during a war to create the Asteroid belt. There was even a movie made about it. The Lemurians that escaped came "here," supposedly, and rivaled the Atlanteans. It is along those lines.

That is it. If you entertain me (not necessarily believe me,) then I will continue. If I am ridiculed for my THEORY (that I admit is a theory unproven,) then I will leave it at this. You can disagree with me; we can debate. I just don't want to waste time defending my character today.

 

[selfinflikted]

There are a few competing hypotheses for the moon. One, and I think the most popular, is that a celestial body struck the earth, knocking parts of it into orbit. Then, through accretion, the moon formed.

 

[lesliedellow]

Where did the Moon come from?

 

[Lollerskates]

There are a few competing hypotheses for the moon. One, and I think the most popular, is that a celestial body struck the earth, knocking parts of it into orbit. Then, through accretion, the moon formed.

Yes that is the scientific consensus - that F=Gm1m2r/r^3 made it so that the dust from the earth body coalesced into a spherical body of the side (and density) of the moon.

But, do the classical gravitational equation:

F=(Gm1m2/r^3)*r: That body of the moon is gargantuan for the size of earth. That is why our tides, moods, and functions of this planet are so acutely affected by the moon (menstruation cycles, legends of hounds and gouls at full moon, strange activity equated with a full moon, etc.) The moon is in some cultures considered "Luna," a "planetoid" because of its size and influence - not a satellite like Europa to Jupiter.

 

[BL2KTN]

Gravity.

 

[Strathos]

Next make a thread about Pluto or thalidomide

 

[PsychoSarah]

Yeah, the moon Pluto has is almost as big as the planet itself.

 

[AV1611VET]

Has anyone espoused the theory that the moon captured the earth?

 

[PsychoSarah]

Has anyone espoused the theory that the moon captured the earth?

When a mass captures another mass, the captured mass orbits it or crashes into it.

 

[AV1611VET]

When a mass captures another mass, the captured mass orbits it or crashes into it.

Okay ... um ... so ... the answer is what?

 

[PsychoSarah]

Okay ... um ... so ... the answer is what?

By definition, since the moon orbits the earth and not the other way around, the moon is the captured.

 

[AV1611VET]

By definition, since the moon orbits the earth and not the other way around, the moon is the captured.

Oh, I see.

Okay ... you got me on that one.

 

[PsychoSarah]

Oh, I see.

Okay ... you got me on that one.

Happens

 

[Lollerskates]

We know the moon is there, and it has been there since at least the dawn of humanity. What we dont know is how it got there, where it came from and how it was formed (along with its age, and really, composition). There have been tests to remotely determine the composition, and there are compelling theories on how it was made, and where it came from. But, they are theories; no one existed when the moon was created to do a proximity mass spec, and witness its formation. We dont even know that much about our own terran oceans.

 

[Ecowolf]

Dat Mass!
and the promise of lunar bukkake

 

[RealityCheck]

By definition, since the moon orbits the earth and not the other way around, the moon is the captured.

Ehhhhh.....

The technically correct answer is that the earth and moon orbit a common center of mass. Because the center of mass is located within the earth (though not at the center of the earth), it's approximately correct to state that the moon orbits the earth. That's one reason why the earth continues to rotate with a much faster period rather than settling into a synchronous orbit around the sun, as Venus and Mercury have.

 

[Lollerskates]

.