Реферат: Theories Of The Origin Of The Moon

collision would

produce large vapor clouds that they believe might play a role in the

formation of

the Moon. A.G.W. Cameron and William R. Ward (Harvard University,

Cambridge MA) pointed out that a collision with a body having at least the

mass

of Mars would be needed to give the Earth the present angular momentum of

the

Earth-Moon system, and they also pointed out that such a collision would

produce a large vapor cloud that would leave a substantial amount of

material in

orbit about the Earth, the dissipation of which could be expected to form

the

Moon. The Giant Impact Theory of the origin of the Moon has emerged from

these suggestions.

These ideas attracted relatively little comment in the scientific community

during

the next few years. However, in 1984, when a scientific conference on the

origin

of the Moon was organized in Kona, Hawaii, a surprising number of papers

were

submitted that discussed various aspects of the giant impact theory. At the

same

meeting, the three classical theories of formation of the Moon were

discussed in

depth, and it was clear that all continued to present grave difficulties.

The giant

impact theory emerged as the "fashionable" theory, but everyone agreed that

it