Name: How Did the Moon Come to Be?
Uploaded: undefined
Duration: undefined

Nova

Samples from the Apollo mission support an intriguing new theory for how the Moon formed called the “Giant Impact Hypothesis”

Scientists have several theories for how Earth's Moon formed.

How Did the Moon Come to Be?

Koch Foundation

NOVA Science Trust Logo

Samples from the Apollo mission support an intriguing new theory for how the Moon formed called the “Giant Impact Hypothesis”

Scientists have several theories for how Earth's Moon formed.

Space & Flight

How Did the Moon Come to Be?Published: July 16, 2019Katie Joy: There were several theories for how the moon was first formed. One is the “capture” theory, whereby the moon was actually thought to be an early planet that got captured by Earth’s gravity and went into orbit around it.There’s also a slightly strange idea that maybe the early Earth is spinning really fast on its axis and spun off a piece of the moon. And this is what we call the “fission hypothesis.”However, our ideas have changed since we collected the Apollo samples. The samples told us that, actually, the moon and the earth are chemically similar. And this gave rise to this new model, called the “giant impact hypothesis.”We’re still figuring out the details, but maybe the earth was hit by a body the size of Mars, creating a massive shower of super-heated material: gas, dust, magma that then cooled down slowly and coalesced, forming the earth at the center and the moon trapped in orbit around it.

United States

Northern Mariana Islands

Puerto Rico

American Samoa

Guam

U.S. Virgin Islands

U.S. Minor Outlying Islands

US & Territories

NOVA investigates the story of cannabis from the criminalization that has disproportionately harmed communities of color to the latest medical understanding of the plant. What risks does cannabis pose to the developing brain? How much do we know about its potential medical benefits? As cannabis becomes socially accepted, scientists are exploring its long-term health consequences. (Premiered September 29, 2021)Check out a previously recorded panel discussion and audience Q&amp;A featuring experts and producers from "The Cannabis Question" <a href="https://youtu.be/nSTT5RZ_hxA">here</a>.

As state-legalized cannabis spreads, NOVA explores its little-known risks and benefits.

The Cannabis Question

A 2006 composite image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer Telescope shows the chaos of baby stars in the Orion nebula some 1,500 light-years away. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI

With the upcoming launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, the Hubble era is gradually drawing to a close. Here are some highlights from the countless wonders Hubble has shown us during its 31 years in space.

10 spectacular Hubble Space Telescope images

A statue of Zheng He at the Sam Poo Kong Temple in Java, Indonesia. Image Credit: Budianto Santosa, Shutterstock

In the 1400s, Zheng He sailed thousands of miles around Asia and Africa in ships the size of soccer fields, spreading Chinese innovations like compasses and gunpowder in the process.

How Did the Moon Come to Be?

Support Provided By

Explore More

Apollo's Daring Mission

Back to the Moon

Scientists Launch Rocket into the Moon to Find Water

Transcript

Credits

Support Provided By

Explore More

Apollo's Daring Mission

Back to the Moon

Scientists Launch Rocket into the Moon to Find Water