I don't know much about cosmology, but what is the current accepted theory on how the moon formed? Did it form like a planet or was it a result of a planetary crash (possibly with Mars and another planet) which it then broke off and was "captured" by earth gravity? Liquid metal core hmmm....

I'm sorry I can't find the original source, but I recently read a NASA article that supported the capture theory for the moon. The moon has a retrograde orbit and its composition doesn't match Earth very closely. This article said the Earth probably had about six moons until the current moon was captured and gobbled-up the native moons. The mass concentrations on the moon might be the remains of these collisions with the native moons.

I don't know if this is the latest theory, or an old theory, or one of many theories.

I've always been under the impression that the moon was the result of an impact on Earth, asteroid or comet struck Earth and the force knocked a giant chunk of Earth into space. This mass got caught into orbit of Earth and just spins around us, which "explains" why the Luna has no rotation.

Maybe the moon was another planet that crashed into earth, mixing life and cores, making earth as unique as it is today.

Originally posted by scottbob
Maybe the moon was another planet that crashed into earth, mixing life and cores, making earth as unique as it is today.

One day we will know the truth but not today.

My guess is that the Earth and the Moon are both 4.6 billion years old.

First of all, science does not know the origin of the Moon. There are four major theories and all of them have major flaws. The Co-accreation and Fission theories were dismissed once lunar rock samples showed that the Moon had a much different composition than the Earth. The Capture theory has been dismissed because the orbit of the Moon would have to be more elliptical than it is. The prevailing theory now is the Giant Impact theory. However, even the astrophysicist who developed the simulation admits that her own model is predicated on the fact that the Earth could not have had any rotation when this impact occurred. The angular momentum caused by the impact would have increased the Earth's rotation so much that if the Earth was rotating at its present rate when impacted, the length of our days would be two hours and not twenty-four. Every planet in the solar system rotates so for the Earth to have no rotation when impacted makes the theory unlikely.

What other types of objects stay in static positions up in space? Curious to know.

Just spit it out ATS. Our moon is either artificial, or it was intelligently placed in its current location for whatever reason. No need to tiptoe around that here is there?